This is an exciting time for our church family! On December 11 at 10:15 a.m., we invite all of the members of Vienna Presbyterian Church to join us in the Sanctuary for a Congregational Meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to 1) establish two new Associate Pastor positions, 2) elect two Associate Pastor Nominating Committees (APNCs) to help us fill those positions, and 3) elect new Elders, Deacons, and members of our church Nominating Committee.
It has taken a great deal of work to arrive here. First, the two new Associate Pastor positions come to us as a result of the work of our Transformation Teams who shared back in August the new mission of the church to be “a caring fellowship, bringing Christ into our diverse community through discipleship and service.” At that time, the teams also shared our new staffing model so that our staff could align with our mission. This congregational meeting marks the next step in fully moving towards that mission.
We will be establishing a position for an Associate Pastor for Outreach. The primary goal of this position is the oversight and development of ministries that strengthen the relational life of those inside the church, extend intentional Gospel centered outreach to those outside of it by continuously developing relationships with community partners, neighbors, schools, public services, and others in the community, and developing ways to connect the church in joyful fellowship and meaningful connection to our community. This position addresses the values of bringing Christ into our diverse community and/or through service.
We will also be establishing a position for an Associate Pastor for Worship & Adult Discipleship. The primary goal of this position is to work collaboratively with the Lead Pastor to develop meaningful, creative worship experiences across the life of the church throughout the year, and to initiate and oversee the development of comprehensive, relevant discipleship ministries for adults in all stages of faith. This position addresses the value of discipleship expressed in our mission.
At the Congregational Meeting we will be electing two APNCs whose work could be as short as six months or possibly go as long as two years. In the fall, the entire congregation was asked to submit names to our Nominating Committee, and that committee, under the leadership of Elders Steve Dirkse and Jonathan Bennett, has worked tirelessly through the last two months to nominate nine members for each of the two APNCs. Each APNC will be responsible for selecting their own chair. These APNCs will be responsible for creating our church’s Ministry Information Form, receiving resumes, reaching out to potential candidates, conducting interviews, and ultimately bringing forth a final candidate for each position, subject to the approval of the Committee on Ministry in National Capital Presbytery.
In addition, we will take the time to elect a new class of Elders to provide spiritual leadership to our church in the coming years, a new class of Deacons to provide for the caring fellowship of our congregation, and a new class of nominating committee members.
We are happy to provide you with the names and bios of each nominee for all of the positions mentioned above. Please be in prayer for each individual who has been nominated and prayerfully and boldly accepted the nomination.
Should you have any questions or comments prior to our meeting on December 11, please do not hesitate to reach out to Elder Steve Dirkse, Chair of Nominating at sdirkse@gams.com; Pastor Hope, Moderator of Session at hope.lee@viennapres.org; or Elder Chuck Allen, Clerk of Session at chuckaallen1@gmail.com.
We look forward to a joy filled and productive congregational meeting and are grateful for your participation!
Todd and his wife, Sharon, have lived in Fairfax since 1992 and have been members of VPC since 2001 They have one son, Kyle (28) and two daughters, Madison (26) and Anna (a freshman at University of Cincinnati) Todd is the Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) in Northern Virginia In his spare time, he fishes, spends time outdoors, and is a struggling runner The family are all Cincinnati Bearcat fans! Todd and Sharon were participants in the children’s and youth ministries at VPC over the years Todd has served as a Deacon, Sharon currently serves as a Deacon, and both have served on NOVA Great Banquet Teams Todd is a current usher and was fortunate to participate in a Growing Your Soul class in 2017
“I am grateful that Pastor Hope has provided me an opportunity to serve and I’m excited to work on the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee for Outreach to find an associate pastor who will help implement our mission to bring ‘Christ into our diverse community."
RJ is husband to his beautiful wife of 22 years, Jessica, and proud father of three beloved sons. Jake, their eldest, is enjoying his first year as a Gator at the University of Florida. John (16) and Joseph (12) are keeping Jessica and RJ plenty busy at home in Reston with Football, Basketball, Swimming, Boy Scouts, Algebra, and constant trips to the grocery store. Rounding out the Clarke family is their precious pup, Mason, a sweet dog of multiple breeds with one giant heart who brings much joy. Jessica and RJ began attending VPC around 2008 when they enrolled Jake in the preschool and they have called VPC home ever since. RJ has served on the Board of Deacons, Session, and multiple Great Banquet teams. He led the NextGen Transformation team this past spring, is currently serving on Staff Committee and Preschool Committee, and ushers the first Sunday of each month.
The son of immigrants from Korea, Jason was born and raised in New York and is a graduate of Trinity College in Connecticut Jason is married to Susannah and they have two children who attend VPC At VPC, he was on the Transformation (Vision) Team, and serves on the Audit Committee Jason is a senior adviser with the Project on Prosperity and Development at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is a frequent speaker on global policy issues and also serves on the Board of Directors of a sustainable building materials company, and as an Advisor to a real estate technology investment platform. He previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the Asian Development Bank and in the U.S. Treasury Department where he worked on communications and policy issues. He also worked as a public affairs and business strategy consultant and in federal and state government.
“I look forward to serving on the APNC for Outreach. After three years in Asia, my family returned to Vienna, and I wanted to return to our church and become more involved with an institution that I missed dearly and was important to me and my family's faith journey. As a continuation of the progress made by the Transformation team, serving on the APNC for Outreach will allow me to stay connected and involved, and help (in a small way) grow our faith community at VPC.”
“I am very excited about the new mission God has for our church and am humbled and honored to be nominated to serve on the APNC for Outreach.”
Chris and his wife Kate have lived in Vienna and been members of VPC since 2007. They have two daughters, Sarah (sophomore at Willamette University) and Abby (senior at James Madison HS), and a 6 yr. old labradoodle named Sybil. Chris is an attorney in private practice in Falls Church. In his spare time, he struggles with golf. The family are all diehard Duke fans. Chris has been active in the children’s and youth ministries at VPC, working with the Class of 2021 starting when they were in 3rd grade. He is a member of session (class of 2025) and was fortunate to have a Growing Your Soul class with David Jordan Haas.
“I am excited to work on the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee for Outreach to find an associate pastor who will help implement our mission to bring ‘Christ into our diverse community ""
Beth has lived in Vienna and been a member of VPC since 1985 She has two adult daughters and four grandchildren Beth is a retired educator from Fairfax County Public Schools In her spare time, Beth enjoys time with her family, reading, and going for (almost) daily walks Over the years, Beth has been an active volunteer in the children’s and youth ministries at VPC, as her children were raised in this church She has served on Session, participated in Mission trips to Mississippi (after Hurricane Katrina) and to Romania, served as a Stephen Minister trained under Pastor David Jordan Haas, completed a Growing Your Soul class, and is currently attending the Foundations Adult Learning Community
Wendy and her husband Mike live in McLean and have been members of VPC since 2001 They raised their four children at VPC and all four children were confirmed in our church Over the years, Wendy has been involved with our youth through teaching Sunday School, volunteering with Confirmation classes and Vacation Bible School, and participating in SMPs to both Mexico and Haiti She is currently a small group leader for Youth Group working with 10th and 11th grade girls. You can often find Wendy walking her three dogs at Scotts Run or playing tennis with friends. She is involved in a women’s small group at VPC and is on the board of the Church of the Ascension, their church while living in the Adirondack mountains during the summer. She serves on the Women’s Council of Five Talents, one of VPCs mission partners, and is planning to travel to Burundi next summer to see Five Talents work first hand and to meet the incredible people whose lives have changed through the help of this amazing organization.
Chris Jones Beth Kraemer Wendy Lincoln“I am excited and honored to serve on the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee for Outreach!”
“I am excited to work on the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee for Outreach to find an associate pastor who will help implement our mission to bring ‘Christ into our diverse community’ especially through our Children, Youth, and Missions ministries.”
Melinda has attended VPC for 25 years, having moved to Virginia in 1997 She is currently serving as an Elder in her first year of a three year term She is a long time member of the Sanctuary Choir, serves as a volunteer with the Friendship Class and Chimes, and as a Women’s Bible Study group leader In past years, she has served as a Deacon and Elder and participated in Growing Your Soul, Renewing Prayer, Great Banquet, and a number of Sunday school and study groups She recently retired from seven years in private industry and 30 years of federal service as a geologist and regulatory specialist (Department of the Interior) She is so very thankful to VPC for the many opportunities she has had to grow in faith and discipleship to Jesus as Lord and Savior, to build loving friendships, and to be part of a faith community that loves and serves others inside and outside the church
“We are greatly blessed at VPC and in this new chapter, I believe God is calling us to be a blessing by expanding our love and care for the community and world around us through fellowship with our neighbors and practical acts of service I am excited to have the opportunity to be a part of discerning the person God has chosen to encourage and lead us in this good work ”
Anna has been a member of VPC since 2014, when she and her husband Nick moved to the area from Chicago They and their children, Peter (8), Elena (5), and Benjamin (2), can all be seen at the 9am service, with Anna whispering an extra prayer for the kids to behave during the children’s message Anna works in Business Development for Morningstar, where she manages the firm’s strategic client relationships She spends her free time with her family, traveling, being outside as much as possible, and exploring all the activities the DC area has to offer Anna has been a teacher in VPC’s ESOL program for five years, and has previously volunteered in the nursery She has been excited to help spread the word about all the incredible work VPC does for others, both locally in our community and across the globe
“I am thrilled to be a part of the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee for Outreach and eager to help VPC find an associate pastor who will shape how we can continue to serve others and share Christ’s love with those not already a part of the VPC community.”
Jennifer, a VPC member since 1989, and her husband, Eric, live in Vienna with their lovable and incorrigible black Lab, Oliver. Jennifer and Eric enjoy playing tennis (sometimes together!), taking photographs (thousands and thousands!), ushering at local theaters, and traveling especially to Brooklyn to visit their daughter, Alice. While Eric devours The Economist, Jennifer listens to opera and paints in watercolors. Jennifer has been a Sunday school teacher (27 years), storyteller, Vacation Bible School coordinator crafting backdrops and skits (15 years), and prop maker for choir programs. Creations include a 68 foot yellow submarine and a 20 foot cardboard locomotive and train cars. Jennifer is also a member of the CenterPoint planning team.
“I am blessed to work with so many awesome people in this congregation! I am excited to work on the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee for Outreach and find an associate pastor who will help implement our mission to bring ‘Christ into our diverse community.'"
Melinda
Anna Nordseth
Erin began attending VPC in 1998 after moving to Vienna She soon joined the choir and immediately felt part of a wonderful community Erin and her husband, Chuck, became members in 2001 Later, she was invited to serve as a deacon, and was moderator her third year She has volunteered in many different ways at VPC, including office work, helping with Sunday coffee hours, several projects during “Labor for Your Neighbor,” visiting our elder members unable to attend in person, and serving as a Stephen Minister
She has been part of the Great Banquet community, serving on the board for a three year term, then as Community Lay Director for another three years, and one of her primary goals as CLD was to grow new leaders among those who participated in the weekends For the past 5 years, she has volunteered as a Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) Mentor Mom, where fostering faith and guiding young mothers has been a joy and a privilege
“VPC has been such a vital and important part of my personal spiritual journey I am honored to have been considered to serve on an Associate Pastoral Nominating Committee (APNC) I expect the hard work of the APNC will result in finding the person who will help VPC continue to grow and thrive in the future ”
Bill has attended VPC for 53 years He is currently serving as Session member on the Worship Planning team and as a member of the Church Protection Policy subcommittee Bill has been a member of Sanctuary Choir for over 30 years, and in the past has served as the Chair of Staff Committee, a member of the Preschool Committee, Send Visioning Committee, New Members Ministry, and other ad hoc committees He worked for the VPC Session in support of sexual abuse survivors and safe church guidelines Bill is a retired Family Physician, and has served the wider community on the Inova Health System Board of Trustees, Fairfax County Health Care Advisory Board, and as a Team Physician for Oakton High School Carolyn, wife of 48 years, is in the College of Deacons and also sings in Sanctuary Choir Daughter Katie and her husband, with their three children, attend VPC Son Will, his wife, and two sons attend Lincoln Square Presbyterian Church in Chicago
Carla has been a member of VPC since 2009 and her husband, Ted, is also active at VPC, having served in many leadership roles. Carla served as a Deacon from 2019 2021. She served on the planning committee for the ESOL International Dinner each year from 2013 until 2019, and is serving this year on the Fellowship Committee. She has been a member of the Married Couples small group since 2018 and has been active in the Women’s Bible Study series since 2010, including as a table host. Outside of church, she is a former Human Resources executive, serving and leading for over 20 years in corporate human resources departments. She retired from Human Resources in 2009 and transitioned to the fitness industry soon after.
Erin Allen
Bill Carter
“I am excited about the opportunity to serve on the APNC. I see this as participating in creating the amazing future of our church and look forward to finding a vibrant pastor who will complement our talented leadership team, and who will bring our members and attendees the dynamic worship programs and adult education offerings that our church body embraces.”
"If elected, I will do my very best, guided by the Holy Spirit, as we seek, evaluate, and recommend a new Associate Pastor. I especially anticipate working with other committee members in a fellowship of service."
Bruce began attending VPC in 2008 and became a member in 2013. He and his wife Benita have two adult children, Andrew and Caitlin thankfully both out of college, gainfully employed, and still living in the area. At VPC, Bruce serves as an usher, is in the College of Elders, and serves on the missions committee, and most recently the “Mission and Vision” transformation team. Outside of VPC, he is a professor at George Washington University.
“I look forward to being on the APNC for Worship and Adult Discipleship because it is so important for fulfilling VPC’s mission to promote discipleship and service From being a part of the Monday Night Men’s Group, Growing Your Soul, Great Banquet, and Sunday morning Perspectives class, I know that becoming better disciples is best done together, not alone ”
Christina and her husband, Randy, have been members of VPC since 2005. They have two children, Natalie (14) and Luke (11). Christina works in HR at Deloitte. In her spare time, she watches her kids play field hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and swim, and loves cheering on her Baylor Bears. Christina currently serves on the Preschool Committee and was on the church staff for several years. She previously served in several leadership positions within MOPS, was a part of the Marriage Ministry team, and participated in a Growing Your Soul group. She also served at numerous VBS weeks and as a Sunday School teacher when her kids were younger.
Paul and his wife, Chanisada, have been married for 23 years, and are the parents of a wonderful 19 year old daughter named Narisara, currently a second year student of astrophysics at Haverford College They have a handsome (and occasionally smelly) 80 pound labradoodle named Olly, and a new mixed breed puppy named Murphy Paul grew up in Kansas and studied biochemistry and philosophy at Harvard, and has worked for the State Department for 30 years He is keenly interested in aviation, meteorology, American pop culture, pizza, composting, and single stream recycling He has been a member of Vienna Presbyterian Church since 2015, is finishing his third year of service as a Deacon, is a baritone in the church choir, and is joining the Stephen Ministry
Bruce Dickson
Christina Jones
Paul Mayer
“I have been looking and listening for opportunities to grow spiritually, and to help VPC and our community my friends know this as my search for the “divine sunbeam” and so I am honored to be considered for service on the APNC.”
"I am looking forward to serving on the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee for Worship and Discipleship because I'm excited about the future of VPC."
Stephanie and her husband, Ryan, joined VPC in 2011. Their three children, Elizabeth (16), Ruth (14) and James (11), were all baptized at VPC and have participated in many youth and children’s ministries. The Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group first drew Stephanie to VPC back in 2009. From there, the whole family started attending. Stephanie served for several years on the leadership team of MOPS and then MomsNext, and also has been active in teaching Sunday School for elementary ages and serving at VBS. Stephanie cannot speak highly enough about the impact three years in Growing Your Soul had on deepening her faith.
“VPC has been a wonderful blessing in the life of the Seckingers and I am excited for this new season at the church and to serve on this Committee ”
Rob and his wife, Susan, have lived in Vienna and been members of VPC since 1998. Their son, Mark, is a junior at Virginia Tech and their daughter, Sarah, is a senior at Marshall High School. Rob is a software engineer with Google in Reston. Rob enjoys hiking and biking and being outdoors in general. He continues to volunteer with his son’s former Boy Scout troop as an Assistant Scoutmaster. Rob has been active with ministries at VPC over the years. From 2007 to 2011 he helped develop and run the church’s website with a team of volunteers. He served on the Board of Deacons, led a small group of high school boys for Student Ministries, and served as an usher. Currently he helps run the slides and cameras during worship services, runs Zoom for the Monday Night Men’s Group, and is in the second year of a Growing Your Soul class.
Kevin and his wife Michelle have two children, William and Charlie The Whites have been attending VPC for four years Kevin loves sharing the love of Jesus by playing keyboard on the worship team He has been serving on various worship teams in a couple of churches in Northern Virginia since 2012 Before that, Kevin served his country as an active duty Marine for eight years The Lord opened many doors for Kevin and Michelle on their journey around the country and finally to Vienna They are currently seeking to further serve Him by becoming foster parents in the coming months
“I look forward to continuing to serve Him by leaning in to all that God has to offer through the many relationships and responsibilities at VPC.”
Stephanie Seckinger Kevin White“I am honored to be able to help VPC select our new Associate Pastor for Worship & Adult Discipleship by prayerfully serving on the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee.”
Bill has attended VPC for 53 years and this will be his fifth term of service on Session He is currently serving as Session member on the Worship Planning team and as a member of the Church Protection Policy subcommittee Bill has been a member of Sanctuary Choir for over 30 years, and in the past has served as the Chair of Staff Committee, a member of the Preschool Committee, Send Visioning Committee, New Members Ministry, and other ad hoc committees He worked for the VPC Session in support of sexual abuse survivors and safe church guidelines Bill is a retired Family Physician, and has served the wider community on the Inova Health System Board of Trustees, Fairfax County Health Care Advisory Board, and as a Team Physician for Oakton High School Carolyn, wife of 48 years, is in the College of Deacons and also sings in Sanctuary Choir Daughter Katie and her husband, with their three children, attend VPC Son Will, his wife, and two sons attend Lincoln Square Presbyterian Church in Chicago
“I will do my best to apply my faith and my experience to the tasks and relationships of leadership. I pray that I will be able to humbly but energetically help as our Session sets priorities, focuses on the unchanging foundations of our fellowship of believers, and tries to fulfill God's will for the future of our greatly beloved church.”
Yvonne is a single, African American woman who has been worshipping at VPC since 2005, and a member since 2007. Yvonne currently works for the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) as their Director of Programs. Yvonne made the change to NHMA in June after spending 23 years working for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Yvonne is a Stephen Minister currently leading the GriefShare team at VPC. Yvonne teaches ESOL, and is a leader in the ALC Perspectives class (formerly known as Christ and Culture). Yvonne also co chairs the Ministry for Racial Reconciliation and Healing (MRRH). Yvonne has served as a deacon at VPC, taught in the children's ministry, and co chaired the PNC that called Pastor Hope. Yvonne enjoys reading, traveling, and ballroom dancing.
"After being a part of the Beloved Community (aka the PNC) that called Pastor Hope to VPC, I could not pass up the opportunity to be a part of the 'New Thing' that God is doing at VPC. I look forward to continuing the journey of discernment and change as VPC moves forward being a caring fellowship bringing Christ into our diverse community through discipleship and service."
Linda and Dean have been married for 21 years and have two children, Grace (18) and Sarah (16) Linda has participated on the Hospitality Committee and the Bulgaria mission, as well as the Great Banquet She is currently in two small groups, and also volunteers with Reset180 and is active as a National Charity League member She serves on the Parent Admissions Team for Flint Hill, and enjoys running and tennis
“I decided to serve because I am interested to give back to a church that has given me so much, am excited about our church's future, and I believe I can help in this area ”
Bill CarterAndrew is a husband, dad, lawyer, and passionate teller of cheesy jokes Andrew and his wife Amanda have been married since 2005 and have four kids (ages 8, 8, 6, and 3) After hanging out on Wall Street, Andrew is now a legal executive for a financial startup company named eToro Andrew and his kids have served as greeters at VPC and Andrew often emceed events at prior churches When he isn’t working, Andrew is usually talking about Marvel, Star Wars, or Pokemon stuff with his kids, making to do lists that are rarely fulfilled, or having family dance parties
“I love building communities and connecting with others and hope to help VPC keep doing that as an Elder.”
Cory has been married to his wonderful wife Shauna for the past 15 years They have four children and live in Vienna At VPC, Cory serves as an usher, enjoys working with Mission Groups on their various activities benefitting the community, has been active in Monday Night Men’s Group, and has volunteered teaching Sunday School He works for a commercial real estate company and is involved with projects across the country In his free time, Cory enjoys spending time with his very active family and all of their adventures Cory has a deep love for Vienna Presbyterian Church
Cait is a native Long Islander who moved to Vienna with her husband Matt, and two awesome, autistic kids, Grace and Henry, in 2012. Cait graduated from the Tulane School of Architecture in New Orleans and is a not yet licensed architect. She spends her time free time drawing house and dog portraits, and training their German Shepherd puppy, Maggie, to be a therapy dog. Cait has been active in the Friendship Class at VPC.
Tristen has been a member of VPC since 2007, the same year her daughter, Addison Carr, was baptized Tristen has served in the nursery, Gateways, PowerUp, and Youth Group Additionally, she was the co chair of the Ignite Capital Campaign in 2016 17 and has been a member of the Generosity Team since 2018 Tristen served on the Mission and Vision Transformation team in 2022 Professionally, Tristen serves as a Vice President of Public Sector for software companies She is also involved in several non profit organizations that help to foster better communication between government, industry, and the public at large She received her M B A at American University and a B A at Dickinson College Outside of church and work, Tristen supports her daughter's sports teams at Trinity Christian School and enjoys gardening, cooking for friends, and live music
“I accepted the call to serve on Session because I care deeply about VPC and its congregants I want to lend my ear and voice during its transformation under Pastor Hope to help guide the church into its next phase as a caring fellowship bringing Christ into our diverse community through discipleship and service ”
Andrew McCormick“I’m excited to serve on session to help further the church’s capacity for inclusion of all people.”Cory Scott
“I am very excited to be an Elder and to have an opportunity to serve the church community.”
Chuck is married to Donna, and they have three children (David, Nathan, and Caroline) and one grandson (Peter Benjamin) He served as a VPC deacon from 2016 to 2019, plays in the VPC adult bell choir and has enjoyed the VPC Foundations class for a number of years Chuck currently works on agricultural trade issues at the U S Department of Agriculture and plans to retire at the end of the year He enjoys travel, good food, and being with his family (especially that new grandson!)
“I appreciated the opportunity to be a VPC deacon before and wished that I had had more time to devote to it; I’m hoping I’ll have that time with my retirement.”
Sharon is married to Paul, and they have three children: twin boys in college and a daughter in high school. Sharon and her family have been members at VPC for 10 years, and she has served in Children's Ministries as a Sunday School teacher, in Student Ministries as a Choir Parent, and most recently on the Missions team supporting our Afghan refugee friends. Sharon works as an IT consultant for a firm in New York. Outside of work, Sharon enjoys time with family, travel, reading non fiction, cooking, playing the piano, and spending time with friends.
She decided to serve because she is blessed by our wonderful VPC community and wants to give back.
Jeanne is a pastor’s daughter who has been attending VPC since 2016, but is a “melting pot” Christian She and her husband Mike live in Vienna, and have seven children between them: Jeanne’s adult triplets (two daughters and a son) and Mike’s four adult sons She has a passion for teaching young children, a love of music, and a heart for missions At VPC she has taught preschoolers on Sunday mornings, sung with the Sanctuary Choir, been a DivorceCare facilitator, participated in Foundations, supported Bags of Love, been a member of a Growing Your Soul group, and led a women’s virtual small group during the pandemic Jeanne recently retired from a career that started in IT, transitioned to HR, and ended up in HR Systems consulting She loves having more time for gardening, walking, reading, trying new recipes, working on her foreign language skills, and traveling.
Chuck Bertsch Sharon Edelmann Jeanne Harrison“My strongest love language is acts of service. VPC’s biblical view of Deacons as serving others gives me a great opportunity to express love for God and love for people by helping to meet the needs of others. I also look forward to building relationships with members of our VPC family through serving them.”
Kristin and her husband Brian have been married for 25 years and have two sons, Mychal (20) and Brandyn (17) They have been attending VPC for 15 years Kristin has volunteered as a leader for VBS, children's Sunday School, and Youth Group She has also served as Vice Chair and Chair on the Weekday Preschool Committee Kristin has helped with Hypothermia Prevention, Belong, Bags of Love, and other drives to help families locally and abroad She is in her 12th year working as a preschool teacher at Emmanuel Lutheran Preschool and enjoys spending time with friends and family
“I accepted the nomination to serve as a Deacon because I am excited to be a part of the new changes happening at VPC. I am also excited to start my service with the Deacons.”
Rance and his wife Gail live in Vienna, and have been members of VPC since 2008. He has been a member of the Usher/Welcome team for several years and a grateful member of the Monday Night Men’s Group for much longer. Rance is one of the founding partners at Capital Jet Group. As he approaches retirement, he looks forward to more opportunity for travel, flying, and spending quality time with family and friends.
“The call to serve as a deacon came as a surprise to me. After prayerful consideration, I came to appreciate that God had a plan and a use for me that I hadn’t really considered. I needed to make myself available and trust in his plans for me to better serve the Lord and His people.”
Lyle has been attending VPC since 2006, and married his wife Liz in the Chapel in 2008. He is stepdad to two adult sons, Robert and Norris, who both remain in the area and were active in the VPC youth underground when they were younger. Lyle is active at VPC as a small group leader for Monday Night Men, supports new member orientation and leads a new small group this fall for dads. Lyle recently retired from consulting work supporting the Federal government for over 30 years. He is a US Army Veteran and avid Army Football fan. He spends his days now walking his dogs and actively supporting the Kellman household.
He is compelled to be a Deacon from Isaac 8:6, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I Send me!'"
Kristin Heath
Andrew and his wife Sandi have attended VPC since 2003 They have two children Will (23) and Hannah (19), and live in Reston He is a lifelong Northern Virginian In 2006, he attended the Northern Virginia Great Banquet, which changed his priorities, realizing life is all about relationships with God and others He enjoys participating in small groups, finding them crucial to growing in faith and being held accountable to bring faith in Christ into everyday actions and interactions with others He has also participated in Growing Your Soul, the Apprentices Sunday learning community, MRRH, community service such as Bags of Love, the Crop Walk and the Walk for Water, and mentored a family from Iran He works as a communications manager at MITRE, a not for profit company Andrew enjoys traveling with Sandi and his family, playing tennis and pickle ball, skiing, hiking, and flat water kayaking
“I accepted the invitation to serve as a Deacon because I want to be part of expanding our outreach and service to the diverse communities in the Vienna/Reston area, to do my part to bring the love of Christ to people one interaction at a time.”
Richard and his wife Meg recently celebrated their 34th anniversary in Charleston, SC. They have two adult children, Maley who lives in Charleston and son John who lives here in NoVA. Richard has been a member at VPC for over 15 years and decided to venture from the pew about three years ago in order to get more involved in the church. He started volunteering at the information center during a Christmas service, which led to participating in Bible Study the following January. Then he joined in the Great Steakout, the Monday Night Men’s group and the Exploring Faith Class. He is the Sales Manager with the immixGroup, an Arrow Company covering the Cyber Suppliers. Richard enjoys sports, fellowship, and the occasional cooking show.
“I decided to become a deacon to find other ways that I could serve VPC and support and encourage the pastors and church leaders. I look forward to the opportunity to serve as I am confident that I will get more than what I am able to give.”
Greg is a VPC native. His family started attending when he was a toddler, and Greg came up through the ranks in Sunday School and Youth Group. Except for the five years when Greg lived in Florida, VPC has been his church home. In recent years, he has served on Session, led several mission projects, attended Foundations Sunday school, participated in Growing Your Soul, and has been an active leader in the Great Banquet. Greg met his wife Michelle over 25 years ago while leading worship for the Saturday Night service, and they can still be seen about once a month leading music at the 9:00 am service on Sunday mornings. Greg designs and builds satellites for Northrop Grumman, but his true passion is serving others.
"It's
someone with something they can't do for themselves. That's what makes us all one body in Christ."
Andrew McLauchlin Richard Nordberg Greg Rahala great feeling to be able to help
Charlotte became a member of Vienna Presbyterian Church in 2015 and served as a Deacon from 2016 2019 She attended the Great Banquet in the Spring of 2015 and has remained an active member of the Great Banquet Community She has grown through three years of Growing Your Soul and participation in the Monday Night Women's Bible Study Charlotte is single again after many years She has two adult children: her daughter and husband live in the Atlanta area, and her son and his wife live in the Raleigh area No grandchildren yet Before the pandemic she worked at a gym as a personal trainer She is now retired but still enjoys being active, including playing on two women's soccer teams She enjoys gardening, DIY projects, traveling and getting together with friends and family
“I accepted the Deacon's opportunity to serve out the final year of a three year term that someone else was unable to complete. At the time I was looking for a way to become more involved in a service area at VPC. This was a perfect first step toward accomplishing that. I look forward to serving VPC in this capacity.”
Sharon is single (divorced) and has two children and two grandchildren in the area. She is retired after working at AARP for 20 years and now serves as a volunteer on the AARP Capitol Hill Strike Force representing members’ visibility during congressional hearings and works on senior issues. Sharon has been a VPC member for over 30 years and has served on three previous Deacon boards. She serves communion, is an usher, works with the memorial service reception team, and is a member of the weekly Thursday night small group. She has a passion for working with the Community Coalition for Haiti.
“In Luke 12:48 Jesus tells us ‘From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.’ (NIV) I believe that serving as Deacons affords us the opportunity to give hearts, hands and feet to VPC's mission to be a caring fellowship bringing Christ into our diverse community. I will be both humbled and honored to serve as a Deacon.”
Ginger has been a member of VPC for about 20 years, has taught Sunday school for 3rd and 6th graders, enjoyed teaching ESOL for a number of years, and has served on the preschool board. She is currently serving as an usher, and looks forward to welcoming people to worship. Ginger likes to travel, hike, read, and garden, and is happiest outdoors. During COVID, she saw an opportunity to transition to be a dog walker, combining two of her favorite things.
“I realized that being asked to serve again was God’s way of tugging at me to serve joyfully, to be a witness to how good and faithful God is and to let His spirit work through me to serve the people of this church and the community during this exciting new time. I joyfully look forward to seeing where God works through me. I’m excited to be a Deacon again and serve the people of this church and the community I am ‘fired up’ to see what God will lead me to do.”
Sharon SmithKelly has been a member of VPC for over 20 years, and has served as a leader in children’s ministry, youth ministry, and the Financial Peace University program She has also participated in several mission trips to Haiti, Pittsburgh, and Lumberton, NC She is officially an empty nester, as her daughter began college this fall Kelly is a Senior Director of Business Management at Freddie Mac and enjoys mentoring a group of Capital Markets Analysts who are recent college grads and new to the workforce In her free time, she enjoys traveling, visiting with family and friends, cooking, watching movies and playing brain games
Kelly is interested in being a deacon because the small group of VPC girls that she had been co leading for the past 6 years is graduating this school year, so she’s excited for the next new opportunity to serve.
Jessica has been married to her college sweetheart, RJ Clarke, for over 22 years and they have three wonderful boys: Jacob (18), John (16), and Joseph (12). Their family has been attending VPC since 2008. They became members when their older boys attended VPCP. Jessica has served our church as a Deacon and been involved with helping in Children’s ministry, Growing Your Soul, serving as an usher, and Vacation Bible School
“I’m looking forward to working with others to identify new people to join our wonderful leadership community.”
Denise began attending Vienna Presbyterian Church in 2002 but it wasn’t until 2010 that she attended her very first Bible study, introducing her to Scripture in a way she had never known. That first study created a thirst in her for God’s word, and her spiritual development began to blossom. Having struggled through divorce, financial stress, grief, career change, and loneliness, developing a relationship with God in this intimate way was life changing. Denise is currently a Life Coach who specializes in supporting people through business and life transitions. In her spare time she enjoys writing, sharing a meal with family and friends, and playing pickleball!
“I agreed to serve on the nominating committee because I recognize that God is calling me to use my gifts to serve the church as we collectively pursue the will of God at this time of transition.”
