Vienna Presbyterian Church
Congregational Meeting Sunday, October 5, 2025 10:15 am | Sanctuary
An Important Season of Leadership: Next Steps
Throughout the history of God’s people, God has continually called and set apart servant leaders to advance the mission of His work in the world. In our church, we place a high value on the leadership of lay people who work alongside of (not in front of, not behind, but together) the pastors and staff for the good of the Gospel here at Vienna Presbyterian Church.
On October 5 at10:15 am in the Sanctuary, the Session has called a congregational meeting for the purpose of electing a new class of Elders, Deacons, and Nominating Committee Members. Elders are responsible for the spiritual leadership of their congregation, providing oversight to the mission and ministry of the church. Deacons provide for the caring fellowship of our congregation. Our Nominating Committee is designed to prayerfully discern those who God might call each year into the ministries of Elders and Deacons.
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 October 5, please do not hesitate to reach out to Elder Ryan Seckinger, Chair of Nominating at Nryanseckinger@gmail.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!
Susan Bauer
Susan has lived in Vienna since 1975 with her husband Tom. They have two sons and four grandchildren. She is a retired FCPS elementary teacher.
Susan has been a member of VPC since 2018 after converting from another faith tradition where she taught a children’s liturgy and made baptismal robes. She taught ESOL for VPC for 19 years until the program ended and has served as a Deacon, led Bible studies, and attends the Foundations Class. Additionally, she serves Communion, ushers, and is currently a Stephen Minister. Susan is on the prayer team for the NOVA Great Banquet community and has served in many different capacities on numerous Spring & Fall weekends.
I was asked to serve on the Nominating Committee and said yes because I want to be open to new opportunities to serve God and our VPC community. I pray that the Holy Spirit will give me and the Nominating Committee the discernment needed to reflect His will.
Jonathan has been a member of VPC since 2008. He is married to his best friend and college sweetheart, Melissa, and they are blessed with a 21-year-old son, Tyler, who is currently a senior at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO.
Jonathan is an IT executive with over 25 years of experience in technology modernization within the public sector, having worked in both the private sector and federal government. Outside of work, Jonathan enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, traveling, entertaining, and cooking/grilling. An adventurer at heart, he loves mountain biking, snowboarding, playing pickleball, golfing, hiking, Bikram yoga, camping, and fishing whenever he can.
At VPC, Jonathan is a member of the College of Elders, a current usher captain (1st Sunday, 9 a.m.), and an active member of the Great Banquet community, including a 14-year weekly small group that formed from it. He has also previously helped lead the 300 Bags of Love monthly food distribution campaigns and was an adult leader for an SMP mission trip to Mexico.
I answered the call to serve on the Nominating Committee next year because I believe deeply in the importance of discerning and empowering faithful, Spirit-led leadership within our church. Having previously served as both an Elder and chair of this committee for several years, I’ve seen how vital this work is to the health and future of our congregation. I feel called to support our mission by helping identify leaders who reflect Christ’s love, character, and commitment to serving others
Jonathan Benett
Tristen Yancey
Tristen has been a member of VPC since 2007. Her daughter, Addison Carr, was baptized at VPC that same year and she is now a sophomore at The Ohio State University. Tristen has served in the nursery, Gateways, PowerUp and Youth Group. Additionally, she was the co-chair of the Ignite Capital Campaign in 2016-2017, a member of the Generosity Team from 2018-2024, served on the Mission and Vision Transformation team in 2022 and was an Elder from 2023-2024. Most recently, she is volunteering for the DivorceCare 4 Kids ministry.
Professionally, Tristen has served as a Vice President of Public Sector for several software companies but is currently taking a pause from the corporate world. Outside of church and work, Tristen enjoys cooking for friends, outdoor activities and live music.
I accepted the call to serve on the Nominating Committee because I care deeply about VPC and its congregants. I want to lend my ear and voice to help guide the church as a caring followship bringing Christ into our diverse community through discipleship and service.
Elder Nominees
Ted Davies
Ted is a long-time resident of Northern Virginia, currently living in Vienna with his wife Carla. He has two children – Ashley, who lives in Southern New Jersey and Colbey who is in Falls Church. He is a leader in the government technology market and has always been active in the Washington business community as well with a number of local charities. Ted was an Elder at VPC from 2016-2021 and has co-led the Monday Night Men’s group for the past 3 years.
He enjoys doing just about anything sports related outdoors –particularly with his family and close friends.
“I see such amazing energy and forward motion here at VPC over the last few years; I also think there is much more yet to be done with our church family and in our community. I’m excited to come back on Session to help at this stage of the journey!
Brian and his wife, Kristin, have been members of VPC for over 15 years. They have two sons, Mychal, 23, and Brandyn, 20 who are also members of the church They typically attend the 9:00am service Brian currently attends the Apprentices Sunday School class but has also enjoyed the Beyond Basics class as well as the Monday Night Men’s group in the past. To give back to VPC, Brian helped with the Coffee Ministry in between services as well as the Hypothermia Ministry. Most recently he started volunteering as an usher during the 9:00am services
One of his favorite hobbies is photography. He enjoys photographing sports, particularly soccer, as well as theater and public events including many past VPC activities and events. He has also been very active in Troop 152, the Boy Scout Troop sponsored by VPC. During his 12 years with the Troop, he has enjoyed backpacking, camping and other activities while helping to mentor the boys as they learn to be good leaders, citizens, and people. He also served for 4 years as the Scoutmaster for the Troop. Outside of family, church, and scouts, Brian is an Executive Director for CACI where he leads the business systems group for our internal IT organization.
VPC has been a great church home for our family, and I wanted to do more to give back to the mission and ministry of God’s work in Vienna.
Brian Heath
Elder Nominees
Mike Lincoln
Mike and his wife, Wendy, have been members of VPC for 25 years, and are the parents of four: Wes, Sarah, Will, and Jay. Early on, Mike served on the VPC Building Committee that worked on expanding the church after the new sanctuary was built. Since that time, he has been an usher for several years. Professionally, Mike is a venture capital lawyer and Vice Chair at Cooley, an adjunct professor at UVA Law, and active on several boards and non-profits. Mike enjoys traveling, fly fishing, and skiing and in addition, he and Wendy enjoy spending time with their family at their lake house in the Adirondack Mountains.
I have long felt a strong desire to be more involved at VPC and yet my work and travel schedule has made that a challenge. My hope is that taking on this new role will be one step that is part of a new chapter centered on faith, family and friends.
Amy O’Malley
is grateful to be the mother of Liam (14) and Finn (11) and their endoodle, Dublin (6). She and her husband Sean just brated 17 years of marriage, and enjoy experiences like live c, sporting events, travel, sharing a meal, or gathering around a with friends. They can often be found at Skatequest or countless ts fields, courts, and hockey rinks cheering on the boys. They ery blessed to have two large families and love to entertain so holidays are filled with rituals, joy, and chaos.
Professionally, Amy is the Global Solutions Lead for CBRE’s Experience Services (Host) and has the honor of bringing hospitality and digital innovation to workplaces in over 200 countries. At VPC, she currently serves on the Fellowship Committee, where she shares her event experience and passion for creating connections in support of the mission of VPC. Serving the whole person and approaching service with empathy are deeply rooted values. At their former church, she served in various leadership roles from Community Outreach to the Pastoral Search Committee and has 10+ years in children’s ministries. VPC has been such a welcoming home for their family.
By answering the call to serve as an Elder, I’m looking forward to giving back to this community and sharing my gifts in leadership, creativity, and collaboration.
Wood Parker
Wood Parker and his wife, Emmy, joined VPC in 1983. Wood is a retired military officer, having served in the US Navy for twenty years. After retiring from the Navy he worked in business in Northern Virginia until he retired again.
Wood and Emmy have three daughters and seven grown grandchildren. All live in Northern Virginia except for the grandchildren who are working outside of the area.
Wood has served on Session at VPC several times over the years. He and Emmy served as Youth Advisors when their daughters were in Youth Group, and they facilitated the Parents of Teens group for several years. He has taught Sunday School, served on a Pastor Nominating Committee, and helps Emmy in her role of teaching the Friendship Class. He enjoys gardening, fishing, beekeeping and being with his family.
Every day I pray, among many other things, that God would help me become a better husband, father, grandfather and father-in-law, as well as other roles. I included in those other roles, the prayer that God would help me become a better church member at VPC. When the nominating committee invited me to serve as an elder again, I considered this to be an answer to prayer.
Cory Scott has been married to his wonderful wife Shauna for the nearly 20 years. They have four children and live in Vienna. As an Elder at Vienna Presbyterian Church since 2023, Cory has served as the Chair of the Asset Oversight Team. The Asset Oversight Team has been busy the past three years with many projects including: long term planning, the Sanctuary renovation and various other building improvement projects He works for a commercial real estate company and is involved with properties 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 the Vienna Presbyterian Church.
Cory Scott
I am very excited to be able to continue as an Elder and to have an opportunity to serve the church community.
Jennifer Burns
Jennifer Burns and her husband became members of VPC in 2023 after beginning to attend regularly in 2018. They have two children, William, a freshman at the College of William & Mary, and Caroline, a sophomore at James Madison High School. They have both actively participated in VPC’s youth activities, singing in the youth choir and praise band, and participating in youth group. Both joined VPC through the confirmation process.
Since attending VPC, Jennifer has been part of the Children’s Ministry teaching Sunday school and has regularly supported efforts like Bags of Love and the 6K Global Walk for Water. Additionally, she participated in Women’s Bible Study. She recently left the Federal Reserve System after a 34-year career in its Supervision & Regulation division and is pursuing a second career in management consulting. Her hobbies include baking, walking, and reading.
I am excited by the opportunity to broaden the ways in which I serve the church and demonstrate my gratitude to God for his love and care by caring for other followers.
Greg has been a dedicated member of Vienna Presbyterian Church since 2008. He served as the chair of the Youth Director Search Committee and has participated as a speaker for the Great Banquet ministry. Professionally, he is the founder and leader of a technology start-up. He is married and the father of a 16-year-old daughter. Outside of his professional and church commitments, he enjoys playing the drums, running, and coaching youth soccer
I answered the call to serve as a deacon because I believe the Holy Spirit dwells within all of us, and I feel convicted to provide humble service to others
Greg Cullison
Deacon Nominees
Carla Davies
Carla has been a member of VPC since 2009. She was raised in the Catholic faith but came to VPC in 2007 when she was looking to further develop her relationship with Jesus. She was drawn in by the music, the sermon and the warm friendly atmosphere. She is honored to have the opportunity to serve our congregation as a Deacon for the second time.
I felt led to serve as a Deacon because I feel I have a heart for service. I love being in this church family, and want to support our mission, our leadership, and the people of our congregation. A verse that resonated with me recently as I was discerning about this role was 1 Peter 4:10: ‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace’.
Tarsha is the proud mom of two beautiful daughters who fill their home with joy, laughter, and frequent bursts of spontaneous singing—life with them often feels like living in a musical comedy, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Professionally, she serves as a Program Security Manager with SAIC and is celebrating 20 years with the company this year. Outside the office, she has fully embraced her role as personal hype woman, cheer squad, and sideline coach for every sport and activity her daughters have taken on.
Tarsha has been a member of VPC for almost three years. Since joining, she has participated in the Foundations Class, the Hypothermia Outreach Program, the Summer Breakfast Ministry and she currently serves as an Early Childcare Volunteer. Tarsha Drakeford
I felt a strong pull to be more involved in the life and community of the church Prayerfully, I’m striving to “be more like a fountain than a drain” to give, serve faithfully and to grow as a disciple alongside this loving church family.
Barbara Elie
Barbara is married to John Elie who is also a member of VPC. They moved from Buffalo 10 years ago and soon after made VPC their church home. While attending VPC she has also enjoyed participating in the Sunday childcare program, the summer preschool camp, and Women's Bible Study. She retired 5 years ago, after working in kindergarten in Reston, to help out with her grandchildren (Now on number 5!). In her free time she enjoys long walks on the trails in Reston and kayaking.
I feel that the position of Deacon is an opportunity to serve others in a way I might not do on my own. Being retired also gives me more time to devote to volunteering and helping others.
William “Clint” Florence is a native of Texas. He and his family moved from Austin, Texas to Vienna in February of 2020 and joined VPC in 2023. He was raised Presbyterian and is returning to his faith after a period of wandering. He credits his mother (Julie), father (Don), siblings (Don Jr., Becky and Jenny), and wife (Gina) for encouraging him to return, believe and love. They are inspirations to him, and he aspires to have just a fraction of the faith they have shown him. He is married to Gina, and they have two kids, Emery (15) and Julia (13), along with two cats, Bosco and Biggie Smalls, and a Beagle terrier mix, Nesquik. Both he and his wife are proud Texas Tech University alum, and he very greatly values being part of the VPC community who have made this like a second home.
The sense of community within VPC called me along with amazing leaders like Connie, Hope and Robert.
Kristen Heath
Kristin and her husband, Brian have been married for 28 years. They have two sons, Mychal (23) and Brandyn (20). They have been attending VPC for 17 years. She has volunteered as a leader for VBS, ES Sunday School, and Youth Group. She has served two terms on the Weekday Preschool Committee; serving as the Vice Chair and Chair during both terms. She’s helped with Hypothermia Prevention, Belong!, Bags of Love, and other drives to help families locally and abroad. Kristin is in her 14th year working as a preschool teacher at Emmanuel Lutheran Preschool. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, and volunteering.
I accepted the nomination to serve a second term as a Deacon because I have enjoyed getting to know more people at VPC through being a Deacon and I enjoy the opportunities to serve the greater church family.
William “Clint” Florence
Lyle has been attending VPC since 2006 and was married to Liz in the original chapel in 2008. Lyle is stepdad to 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 for dads this fall. 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.
I am 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!’”
Echo, together with her husband Kevin, began attending VPC with their family in 2019. In June 2023, they officially became members and have been actively involved ever since Kevin serves as a Stephen Minister at VPC, while Echo participates in the NOVA Great Banquet and they both have also been part of the International Bible Study Group. Echo enjoys gardening and serving others. She stays physically active by running, taking long walks with Kevin, or riding Peloton whenever time allows.
Finding deep joy in service, I feels called by the spirit of serving and now answer that call by serving as Deacon.
Kelly has been a member of VPC for 20+ years and has served as a leader in Children’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, Small Group Leader, and the Financial Peace University program She has also participated in several mission trips to Haiti, Pittsburgh, and Lumberton, NC. She is an empty nester with her daughter beginning her senior year at VCU this fall. Kelly recently retired from her role at Freddie Mac as a Senior Director of Business Management. She is grateful to have more time now to enjoy Pilates most mornings, and to engage in various volunteer opportunities She also enjoys traveling, visiting with family and friends, cooking, watching movies and playing brain games.
I look forward to continuing my Deacon role and stepping into the Moderator position next year.
Lyle Kellman
Echo Krisko
Kelly Thomson
Wendy and her husband, Mike, have been members of VPC since 2001 They have four children ranging in age from 33 to 21 and just this summer welcomed their first grandchild, Ella Grace. Wendy has been active in the life of VPC over the years serving as a youth group leader, Sunday School teacher, VBS volunteer, Confirmation Class leader, small group member and has participated in mission trips to Haiti and Mexico. Most recently she served on the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee calling Pastor Adrian to service at VPC. She was involved with Community Bible Study for many years where she served as a small group leader. Wendy and Mike spend their summers in the
Adirondacks and Wendy serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the church they attend there. She is an active volunteer with Five Talents and had the privilege of traveling to Kenya with Five Talents last October to personally meet the people served by this wonderful mission partner. She enjoys tennis, gardening, walks with her dogs, travel and time with her granddaughter.
I answered the call to serve as Deacon because of my recent involvement with the APNC. I very much enjoyed getting to know other members of our church that I otherwise would not have met. I learned so much about VPC and valued the time spent in fellowship with these folks and in participating in such a meaningful role in the life of our church. Being active in VPC is an honor and call that gives back in multiples.
Wendy Lincoln