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Bob The Rev. Dr. Robert Albritton Senior Pastor Balbritton@vbc-va.org Ben The Rev. Dr. Ben Wagener Pastor for Spiritual Formation Bwagener@vbc-va.org
CJ
Christopher "CJ" Redden-Liotta
Music Minister
music@vbc-va.org
Cassandra
Cassandra Riedy
Interim Youth Leader beginning January 2012
(Details to come)
Jan
Jan Just
Director, Vienna Baptist Children’s Center
VBCCDirector@vbc-va.org
Mary Ann Mary Ann Christian Music Ministry Assistant Heidi
Heidi Kharbanda
Office Manager OfficeManager@vbc-va.org
Bobbie Jean Bobbie Jean Tolson Financial Secretary finance@vbc-va.org Betty Betty Wiersema Financial Assistant
Sandy
Sandy Perrin
Office Assistant
BuildingUse@vbc-va.org
Volunteer Pastoral Associates on Call - Hank
The Rev. Hank Dunn - Roy
The Rev. Dr. Roy Woodruff
Bob The Rev. Dr. Robert Albritton Senior Pastor Balbritton@vbc-va.org Bob loves serving as a pastor and is glad to be a member of Vienna Baptist Church, where he is in his fourth year as senior pastor. He says, “I see in VBC a worshipping community practicing the disciplines of the Christian faith: prayer, Bible study, testimony, retreat, meditation, reflection, hospitality, encouragement, witness, mission, and ministry. These are my values as well.”
Before coming to Vienna, Bob had most recently served 12 years as senior pastor of Millbrook Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C., and nine years as pastor of University Baptist Church in Montevallo, Ala. Earlier, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Carson-Newman College, and both master of divinity and Ph.D. degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His doctoral concentrations were in Christian philosophy, modern theology, and New Testament interpretation. While a pastor in Alabama, he also taught philosophy and religion for five years as an adjunct professor at Samford University in Birmingham. He also has served as a spiritual formations leader, student pastor mentor, and field ministry supervisor for several divinity schools. Bob is married to Becky Neil Albritton, who is an ordained minister and pastoral counselor. They have two children: Neil, who works in West Palm Beach, Fla., and Anne, who recently completed high school. Bob enjoys playing tennis and golf, skiing on snow or water, and playing guitar. His daily goal is to laugh as often as possible.
One of Bob’s favorite blessings is from Fred Craddock: “Live simply, love generously, speak truthfully, care deeply, pray daily, and leave the rest to God.” Ben The Rev. Dr. Ben Wagener Pastor for Spiritual Formation Bwagener@vbc-va.org Ben believes that church membership should be a carefully considered commitment rather than a casual act, and that the Christian walk is a pilgrimage of following essential spiritual disciplines.
He came to VBC in 2002 with 37 years’ experience as a pastor. He had served a rural church in Kentucky and four Virginia churches in different settings: county-seat town, suburban, and urban. His most recent position was as founding pastor of a small urban covenant church in Richmond, Va., modeled on the Church of the Saviour in Washington, D.C. At VBC he coordinates the church’s efforts to stimulate and develop committed Christian discipleship for all ages. He also has responsibilities in missions, worship, and pastoral care. In addition to his formal education—bachelor’s degree from Furman University, master of divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and doctor of ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary—Ben continues to study leadership in ministry through a family systems group as well as a clergy group that focuses on spiritual renewal through worship and reflection. Ben is married to Dorothy, who is editor in chief of a monthly association magazine in Washington, D.C. They have two children: Daniel, an assistant editor for online communications at a think tank in D.C., and Anne, an online editor living in Rochester, N.Y.
An athlete who can still outrun most of the youth in tackle football, Ben enjoys playing outfield on the VBC coed softball team, playing tennis, studying history, and traveling.
CJ
Christopher "CJ" Redden-Liotta
Music Minister
music@vbc-va.org
After serving as interim music director since September 2011, CJ became music minister on Jan. 8, 2012. His responsibilities include leadership of the Chancel Choir, Handbell Choir, and Contemporary Musicians, along with worship planning and coordination of the children's music on Sunday morning.
Growing up in a musical family, CJ was called to church music at a very early age, and started being a regular part of music in worship at the age of 15. Since then, his love for music has led him to complete his undergraduate degree in music from the University of North Texas. Currently, he is a second-year master's degree student in choral conducting at George Mason University, where he is the assistant director of the University Chorale. He also is the music director of the Woodbridge Community Chorus and artistic director of the chamber chorus, Second Wind.
CJ pursues a performing life as a professional singer, and he maintains an active private voice, flute, and beginning piano studio. He is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and an active member in the American Choral Directors Association.
Jan
Jan Just
Director, Vienna Baptist Children’s Center
VBCCDirector@vbc-va.org
Jan is the director of VBCC. She has been a teacher at VBCC for 18 years, having worked first with 3-year-olds, then 2s, and then infants and toddlers. A longtime New Englander before she came to this area, Jan was born in Manchester, Ct., and graduated from Tufts University in 1972 with a degree in urban studies.
Jan and her husband, Dr. James Just, a consultant, have two children. Christopher, 28, is married and expecting a child this summer. He graduated Tufts University, spent five years in the Navy, and is now continuing to work with the same civilian contractor he worked with while in the service. Molly, 22, is a junior at the University of Virginia majoring in Middle Eastern studies. Last summer she worked at Bethesda Naval Hospital and this summer she works at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center--both summers sponsored by the American Red Cross.
Before having a family, Jan worked at a subsidiary of Merrill Lynch. Her special interests are cooking, travling, and reading.
Mary Ann Mary Ann Christian Music Ministry Assistant Mary Ann and her husband, Lewis, grew up in Northern Virginia and became members of VBC in 1969. In 1971 Mary Ann joined the VBC staff as organist and pianist; the position was later changed to music ministry assistant. She was delighted when the church voted to install a Dyer pipe organ in the new worship room. Mary Ann especially enjoys accompanying and learning new music.
Mary Ann is a graduate of Westhampton College of the University of Richmond, where she majored in piano performance, and she also studied at Wesley Theological Seminary. She has accompanied various soloists and choral groups, including the Vienna Choral Society, and has taught piano for 25 years.
Mary Ann is a deacon at VBC. She and her husband, Lewis, have a daughter and two grandchildren. Mary Ann also enjoys reading and working crossword and sudoku puzzles.
Heidi
Heidi Kharbanda
Office Manager OfficeManager@vbc-va.org As VBC office manager, Heidi ensures that the office functions smoothly as the communications hub for the church.
Before joining the VBC staff, she taught first, second, and third grades in Fairfax County Public Schools. She holds a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary social sciences from James Madison University and also completed JMU’s early childhood education program. In 2006, she earned a master of arts in new professional studies in teaching from George Mason University. Heidi grew up in Northern Virginia, but she also lived for periods of time in Luray, Va.; Rödelhausen and Liederbach, Germany; and Salamanca, Spain. Now she lives in Sterling with her husband, Kunal, and cat, Sophie.
Heidi enjoys taking digital photographs, reading, playing board games, traveling, and eating chocolate.
Bobbie Jean Bobbie Jean Tolson Financial Secretary finance@vbc-va.org As financial secretary to the church, Bobbie Jean is responsible for all financial transactions done on the computer, including accounts payable, payroll, contribution records, general ledger, budget, and financial reports.
Bobbie Jean has been a member of VBC since 1965 and is an ordained deacon. Her working background has been in banking and bookkeeping for more than 40 years, and she has also served previously as a volunteer in the church office handling accounts payable as well as payroll and deposits. She has four children, twelve grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Bobbie Jean enjoys reading and walking—not necessarily at the same time.
Betty Betty Wiersema Financial Assistant Betty is responsible for receiving all incoming church monies and reviewing church expenditures, thereby serving as the internal auditor. Before joining the office staff in 1999, she was a teacher at Vienna Baptist Children’s Center for 15 years. Betty is an ordained deacon and has served the church as assistant treasurer.
Originally from Pittsburgh, Pa., Betty attended the University of Pittsburgh. She met her husband, Dick, while both were working in the headquarters office of U.S. Steel. Betty and Dick have two children and four grandsons, who keep them busy and are a delightful part of their lives. Betty enjoys reading and traveling whenever possible.
Sandy
Sandy Perrin
Office Assistant
Sandy Perrin has joined the staff at Vienna Baptist Church to manage building use. She also teaches homebound students for Fairfax County Public Schools and is a retired ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher.
Sandy and her husband, Cliff, an electrical engineer, are native Northern Virginians and long-time members of Columbia Baptist Church, where they serve as deacons. She is the proud mother of our office manager, Heidi Kharbanda, and Susan Murphy of Charlottesville. In addition to being a mother, Sandy also enjoys being a mother-in-law and grandmother to an adorable little boy. She loves to take road trips with Cliff and create photo books from the thousands of digital photos he takes. She also enjoys counted cross-stitch and needlepoint.
Hank The Rev. Hank Dunn Hank has directed an inner-city jobs program for four years and has served five years as a youth minister, twelve years as a nursing home chaplain, and five years as a hospice chaplain. His booklet, Hard Choices for Loving People: CPR, Artificial Feeding, Comfort Care and the Patient with a Life-Threatening Illness, has sold almost 2 million copies. Hank has two grown children and one grandson, and he enjoys kayaking, fishing, hiking, wilderness camping, and life in general. He has been a member of Vienna Baptist Church for 20 years. Roy The Rev. Dr. Roy Woodruff Roy has been a member of VBC since 1988. His ministry has been in the practicing, teaching, and organizational leadership of pastoral care and counseling. He retired in 2003 as executive director of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, after which he served two years on the interim pastoral team at VBC. Roy and his wife, Kay, have two adult sons. Roy’s recreational activities include hiking, tennis, and traveling. He finds personal spiritual renewal in Celtic Christian literature and in meditation. |