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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
Jennifer
The Rev. Jennifer Peterson Singh
Associate Pastor for Youth and Children
jsingh@vbc-va.org
Diane
Diane Frost Gardner
Music Ministry Director
Dgardner@vbc-va.org
Joel
The Rev. Joel Harmon
Resident Director, Lost River Retreat Center
LRRC@hardynet.com
Joan
Joan Strong
Director, Vienna Baptist Children’s Center
VBCCOffice@aol.com
Mary Ann
Mary Ann Christian
Music Ministry Assistant
Heidi
Heidi Perrin
Office Manager
OfficeManager@vbc-va.org
Carol
Carol Natella
Publications Editor
office@vbc-va.org
Bobbie Jean
Bobbie Jean Tolson
Financial Secretary
finance@vbc-va.org
Betty
Betty Wiersema
Financial Assistant
Volunteer Pastoral Associates
on Call
- Hank
The Rev. Hank Dunn
- Julie
The Rev. Julie Price
- Roy
The Rev. Dr. Roy Woodruff
Bob
The Rev. Dr. Robert Albritton
Senior Pastor
Balbritton@vbc-va.org
When accepting the call to become senior pastor
at Vienna Baptist in June 2006, Bob said in a letter to the church,
“I have known of you for years. I know of
your commitment to the faith journey that is both inward and outward.
I am aware of the integrity of your being Baptists in Virginia
without being swayed by the religious/political pressures for
uniformity. I know of your dedication to authentic worship where
your heart is warmed, your head is challenged, and your hand is
equipped for ministry.
“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, a recent Elon University graduate who is working in the
Vienna area, and Anne, a sophomore at Oakton High School.
Bob enjoys playing tennis, 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 managing editor
of an association magazine. They have two children: Daniel, an
assistant editor for online communications at a think tank in
Washington, DC, and Anne, a project assistant at an educational
association in Reston, Va.
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.
Jennifer
The Rev. Jennifer Peterson Singh
Associate Pastor for Youth and Children
jsingh@vbc-va.org
When she joined the VBC staff in 2004, Jennifer
assumed responsibility for development of all aspects of the children’s
and youth ministries. She teaches weekly youth small group Bible
studies, leads the Sunday evening youth ministry program, and
leads the Tween group.
For the children’s ministry, she coordinates
all aspects of the programs on Sunday morning and Wednesday night,
as well as Vacation Bible School and Children’s Camp.
With five years of previous experience, she had
most recently served two years as associate pastor for education
and youth at Peace Haven Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Earlier, she served as part-time minister to youth and children
while earning her master of divinity degree at the Baptist Theological
Seminary at Richmond.
Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree from the
University of North Carolina-Asheville. She has held numerous
leadership positions, among them membership in the coordinating
council for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina.
She also was a summer intern for the Baptist Joint Committee for
Religious Liberty in Washington, DC.
Jennifer has been married to Pravin Singh since
October 2005. They live in Fairfax with their dog, Hatteras. They
love to travel, explore all that DC has to offer, hike, read,
and go to the gym.
Diane
Diane Frost Gardner
Music Ministry Director
Dgardner@vbc-va.org
Some of Diane’s earliest memories of church
are musical, and she sang in choirs from a young age. Her formal
education includes an undergraduate degree in vocal music education
from Oklahoma City University, 40 graduate hours from Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary, and a master’s degree in voice
performance from the University of Central Arkansas. A native
of Tulsa, Okla., she has taught all ages from preschool to university
students to senior adults. She has served churches in Oklahoma,
Arkansas, Texas, and North Carolina.
Her husband, James Gardner, is chair of the music
department at George Mason University. Their son, Peter, is a
graduate student in aerospace engineering at the University of
Maryland.
Since joining the VBC staff in 2002, Diane directs
vocal and handbell choirs for children and adults, and gives much
energy to worship planning. She finds her greatest fulfillment
in sharing her faith through music, and believes that the most
important choir in the church is the congregation.
Joel
The Rev. Joel Harmon
Resident Director, Lost River Retreat Center
LRRC@hardynet.com
Joel has been involved in Christian camping all
his life. He grew up at Byron Bible Camp near Huron, S.D., then
graduated from Word of Life Bible Institute and Citadel Bible
College. He served as pastor of churches in South Dakota and Arkansas,
and as executive director of Byron Bible Camp before becoming
resident director of VBC’s Lost River Retreat Center in
2000.
At LRRC, Joel provides facility care, marketing,
and staff direction as well as scheduling and hosting groups.
He also serves the community as an emergency medical technician
and as chaplain for the Mathias/Baker Volunteer Rescue Squad.
Joel and his wife, Bobbie, have two children, Adam
and Angel. Adam attends college in South Dakota and Angel is a
participant in the Covenant Harbor Apprentice Ministry Program
in Wisconsin.
Joan
Joan Strong
Director, Vienna Baptist Children’s Center
VBCCOffice@aol.com
Joan believes it is vital to help young children
know they are deeply loved by God. Bringing many years of experience
serving in church preschool settings, she became VBCC director
in 2005. She had recently taught 3-year-olds at VBCC and at Floris
United Methodist Preschool near Chantilly, Va. Earlier, Joan was
founding director of Truro Preschool and Kindergarten at Truro
Church in Fairfax, where she also taught classes and led weekly
chapel programs for 22 years.
Her educational background includes associate’s
and bachelor’s degrees from the State University of New
York–Buffalo. She also has taken graduate courses in early
childhood education at George Mason University as well as numerous
workshops in the field. She enjoys developing curriculum, motivating
a team, singing and playing the guitar, using puppets, and just
having fun with children.
Joan and her husband, Harry, have two grown daughters
and six grandchildren. One daughter married an Australian and
lives “Down Under,” and the other lives nearby with
her Japanese husband.
Joan loves the outdoors, winter sports, flowers
and gardening, reading, quilting, and time with family and friends.
Her involvement in church activities has included teaching Sunday
School, having a Bible club in her home, and singing in the choir.
Joan and Harry are attending Fair Oaks Church.
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 20 years. Recently she completed
training and became a certified practitioner in the Feldenkrais
Method, which uses gentle physical movements to increase range
of motion, flexibility, and coordination.
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 Perrin
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 Reston
with her cat, Sophie.
Heidi enjoys taking digital photographs, reading,
playing board games, writing haiku for Advent devotional books,
and eating chocolate. She also enjoys traveling to such destinations
as Maine, Prince Edward Island, and Ireland.
Carol
Carol Natella
Publications Editor
office@vbc-va.org
Carol is responsible for VBC’s monthly print
newsletter as well as the weekly news and announcements page,
"Connections," which is sent to the congregation via
e-mail as well as appearing in print in Sunday’s worship
guide. She joined the staff in 2004.
Although Carol’s academic background is in
the biological sciences, throughout her vocational and avocational
life she has enjoyed writing projects with subjects ranging from
architecture to Jungian psychology. She learned the nuts and bolts
of editing at midlife through coursework at George Washington
University.
Carol and her husband, Dave, are currently very
involved in building a retreat cabin in the Blue Ridge near the
Shenandoah River.
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.
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 to post payroll and deposits. She has four
children, twelve grandchildren, and three 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.
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.
Julie
The Rev. Julie Price
Julie Price is an ordained Baptist minister who
currently works with engaged couples as a wedding officiant. She
also teaches music and is a full-time mother of two energetic
boys. She has a master of divinity degree from Candler School
of Theology at Emory University and previously worked as the associate
pastor of two congregations in Texas and Georgia. She and her
husband Watt Hamlett have been members of VBC since 2002.
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.
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