Introduction
The Vestry Nominating Committee has canvassed for candidates for the Class of 2028. After discussions, prayer and discernment they are pleased to present four candidates who have agreed to stand for election to the four available positions.
Elections will take place at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 25, 2026, at 9:00am, Cox Hall, and will include a special Coffee Hour.
Vestry terms are three years and will begin in February 2026. Candidates must have met the eligibility qualifications as shown overleaf.
We are very grateful to the Vestry Nominating Committee for their work and to all the candidates who have agreed to stand for election in service of their church. Biographical information is presented here for your information.
Trinity Episcopal Church, Upperville, VA.
Notice of Sunday, January 25th, 2026 9:00am
Who is Eligible to Serve on the Vestry?
According to the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, Canon 11, Section 4:
Only lay persons who are confirmed adult communicants in good standing of the church, as defined in General Convention Canon 1.17., shall be eligible for election as Vestry Members of such church. However, regardless of eligibility of a person for election, no person shall be elected at a duly convened congregational meeting to consecutive full terms on a congregation’s Vestry or Vestry Committee.
So what does this mean in plain English?
“Confirmed Adult Communicant in good standing” means the following:
• You are age 16 or older.
• You have been baptized and confirmed in the Episcopal Church, (or Baptized in a church “in communion” with the Episcopal Church) and your baptism and confirmation should be duly recorded on the Trinity Church membership records.
• You are frequently active in worship, and have received communion at least three times this year.
• You have been faithful in working, praying, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God (meaning you are active and intentional about your participation in the life of the church and are known to the Treasurer of the Trinity Church).
• Furthermore, this Canon states that you can only serve one consecutive full term (3 years) on the Vestry.
A prayer for those who serve on our Vestry and for those seeking election
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given the gifts of leadership and service to those in your Church who guide the care and keeping of our parish. Be present with those who serve on our Vestry and those seeking election to the Vestry, that their committed hearts may be fixed upon you. Grant them wisdom to notice the cares and concerns of this community, trust to follow your guidance when answers are not easy, and the knowledge and love of you to be ever-present in their discussions and decisions. Through Christ our Lord we offer our prayers to you. Amen.
Vestry Nominations
MATT BLUNT
Trinity Church has been an essential part of my family's life for nearly fifteen years. Our two sons benefited from their service as acolytes and were both confirmed at Trinity. It is exciting to see even more young families in the church today.
I have previously had the privilege of serving on Vestry and was pleased to be a part of the Discernment Committee that selected The Reverend Jonathan Adams. The spiritual growth and progress that Trinity has experienced in recent years are exciting, and I hope we can sustain this momentum in the years to come.
SHANNON DAVIS
I am deeply honored to be invited to stand for the Vestry of Trinity Church. Though Trinity officially became our church home during COVID when dear friends Beth and Wayne Gibbens invited us to worship outdoors it has been woven into my life for more than 35 years. Through my daughters ’early school days, the Community Music School’s cherished home at Trinity, and decades of treasured friendships, I have long felt a quiet belonging here. The Gospel-focused message we encountered during that unusual season opened the door to a deeper faith journey, and Trinity has quickly become our place of safety, joy, and fellowship.
I am a Tidewater, Virginia (Norfolk) native, and my husband Jim and I have been married for 44 years, with 35 of those spent in the Piedmont. We are the grateful parents of three grown daughters, one of whom was married at Trinity in 2012 and has recently returned to Virginia with her family. Having our two grandchildren close by is one of life’s sweetest blessings.
I am a former RN with more than 35 years of nonprofit fundraising experience, including service to the Windy Hill Foundation, The Hill School, A Place To Be, the Community School of the Piedmont, the Washington Bach Consort, and the National Symphony Orchestra.
If elected, it would be my heartfelt privilege to extend the same warmth, welcome, and care we received to nurture Trinity’s life, support its mission, and help carry Christ’s love to those beyond our doors.
Trinity, there ’s a place for you.
www.trinityupperville.org
CHASE ROWAN
It’s an honor to be asked to stand for the Vestry. My wife, Stephanie, and I were married at All Souls in DC. She was confirmed and I was received at St. Paul’s, Alexandria. We moved to Aldie in 2019, where we found Trinity. Our children, Charlotte (5) and Whitaker (“Whit,” 18 months), were baptized here, and the parish is now the center of our family’s faith life.
My background is in finance and commerce. I graduated from Richmond in 2005 and received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2009. Today I run a fractional CFO practice helping venture capital- / private equity-backed companies and others. I’ve served on several for-profit and non-profit boards and, since 2024, as Treasurer of Trinity, a role I’ll step down from next year. These experiences shape how I think about Trinity and Vestry service. Good stewardship - of people, resources, and direction - is the Vestry’s work. My background gives me a practical lens, but the motivation is personal: Trinity has been a gift to us, and I’d like to do my part to carry it forward. Thank you for your support.
MELISSA WEYHER SAUNDERS
A Trinity parishioner since 2022, I chair the Outreach Grants Team, working closely with the team and Associate Rector Eslicker to review grant requests and give monetary gifts to those in need. I feel fortunate to be able to serve the church and God’s people and would consider it a privilege to serve on the Trinity vestry.
Previous church roles include chair of the Missions Committee at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Newport News and mission trip leader at St. John’s, McLean. Through the years, I have also served on served on Altar Guild, Flower Guild, and as a Sunday School teacher. My career has been mostly in national security, which allowed me to live and work in England, Hong Kong, and Japan and to travel extensively abroad. My husband Rob, a Trinity usher, and I live in Orlean (motto: “It’s not New and there’s no s!”) We have one daughter, one son and daughter-in-law, and we joyfully welcomed our first grandchild this year. I’m a native of North Carolina and return often to our family house at Topsail Beach and to Charlotte for grandson visits.
