Thank you to the members of the PNC! Their pictures and bios are below.

Sammy Merrill

For those who don't know me, it's probably because I've been perched out of sight in the balcony in the choir's bass section for the last twenty some years. For over 40 years my wife, Betty, and I have been members of this church. During that time I have also taught Sunday school classes, served in the Presbyterian food pantry, at the cold weather shelter, and worked for two terms as an elder.

  Recently I was asked to consider being a member of the committee to select a new pastor. As I pondered what qualifications I might have to undertake such a task, I thought of my past professional experiences on numerous search committee assignments during my tenure on the faculty at the University of Mary Washington.

  Teaching was my thing during my career as Professor of German at three different universities - primarily, for 33 years at UMW. I was, however, frequently called upon as well to help screen candidates for various faculty and administrative positions at Mary Washington. So, yes, I have read the voluminous resumes and thus waded through the tangles of verbiage necessary to find deserving candidates. I realize that there may be challenges when I apply my previous hiring experiences to the process of selecting the appropriate faith leader of this church. However, I am also convinced that with the collective wisdom and goodwill of our church membership supporting the prayerful considerations of the search committee, we can find the best candidate.

Rachel Statler

I joined the church in 2007, met my husband John, was married in the church, and am now raising our 2 daughters here. As an older parent to a teenager and a young child (6), I feel uniquely situated to relate to young families, those with children preparing to leave home, as well as older individuals. 

In my professional career, I hold the Society for Human Resource Management, Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) designation. My current experience involves recruiting and hiring executives and mid-level professionals, providing training, and leadership coaching in various for-profit and non-profit industries. 

I have been involved with TPC in the following ways: Elder, Personnel Committee (participated in the hiring selection of Rev. Brittany Tamminga, Associate Pastor), Deacon, Youth Leader Advisor, Suppers for 7, Micah Lunches, Rebuilding Together, Sunday School teacher 3^rd/4^th grades & 4^th/5^th grades, participant in the Faith and Movies Class, Nursery Committee, Stewardship, Volunteer on Gulfport Mission Trip, and a Youth Mission Trip Leader.

Michelle Porter

Michelle Porter is a lifelong Presbyterian and has been a member of our congregation since 1997. She is a teacher at Margaret Brent Elementary School in Stafford and later this month will have been married to Mike Porter for 29 years. They live in southern Stafford with their year-old puppy, Piper. Their son, Drew works in IT in West Virginia and daughter, Hannah works as a Physician Assistant in North Carolina.

Michelle is currently a member of the Christian Education committee and has recently joined a subcommittee of Stewardship. She is an Elder who has served two terms on Session, has taught adult and children's classes, led a small group and fellowship group, been Nursery Coordinator, and been a middle school youth leader. She also chaired the Steering Committee when identifying priorities as part of our Capital Campaign campus building project. She would humbly and prayerfully seek discernment on the Pastor Nominating Committee recognizing the significance of this next step for the congregation.

Bryan Harvey

Bryan Harvey has been a member of The Presbyterian Church in Fredericksburg since 1997. He was baptized at First Presbyterian in Richmond, Kentucky, and confirmed at First Presbyterian in Athens, Georgia. Bryan has participated in Sunday School classes, Youth Group, Bible Schools, Mission Trips, Committees, and Church Retreats throughout his time in the Church. He attended James Madison University for his undergraduate degree, where he also earned a Master's in Teaching. He also holds a Master's in Literature with a concentration in Cultural Studies from George Mason University. For fifteen years, he served as a high school English instructor in Prince William County, teaching everything from AP courses to Film Studies and Creative Writing. He currently works for Centennial Contractors Enterprises, Inc. No one at his new job is interested in literary allusions. His writing has appeared in McSweeney's Internet Tendency, ESPN's TrueHoop blog network, The Classical, and a number of college and indie literary magazines. He likes to run. 

Libby Humes

My name is Libby Humes, and I am the daughter of Pete and Sharon Humes, and the youngest sister to Emily and Mary Grace. I grew up in the Presbyterian Church, being baptized as an infant and confirmed 9 years ago. As a member of our church, I attended Youth Group, Camp Hanover, Montreat, and Triennium, and have served as a Youth Deacon and on the nominating committee. 

I recently graduated from Virginia Tech with a BS in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience. Currently, I am working as a scribe for Vista Eye Specialists while earning patient care hours to apply for Physician Assistant school. 

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, mountain biking, and playing with my dog, Teddy. 

I look forward to participating in the process of finding a new pastor for our congregation. 

Bill Nix

Bill Nix and his wife Jacqueline have been members of the Presbyterian Church since 2001. He has served as an elder twice, as a member of the Capitol and Stewardship Campaigns, as a member of the Christian Education and Mission Committees, and as an adult Sunday school teacher. He enjoys providing the Childrens Sermon from time to time and serving on Committees of the Presbytery of the James. In his spare time Bill enjoys, reading, sports and outdoor activities. 

As part of the PNC, I'm looking forward to the collective self-discovery, discernment, and growth process that I, the Committee, Church and Congregation will be going through in the months ahead.