Charlene P. Kammerer - Bishop
Bishop Charlene Payne Kammerer was elected to the episcopacy at the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference (SEJ) at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, in July 1996. She was assigned to the Charlotte Area where she served the conference faithfully for eight years. At the SEJmeeting in July 2004, Bishop Kammerer was assigned to serve the Virginia Conference.
In her third quadrennium on the Council of Bishops, Bishop Kammerer is assigned to the General Board of Discipleship and the Committee on Hispanic Ministries which she has chaired.
Charlene Payne Kammerer was born on January 5, 1948, in Orlando, Florida. She spent herearly years in Winter Garden, where her home church was First United Methodist. She graduated from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, with an A.B. degree in religion and philosophy in 1970. Wesleyan is the first college in the world chartered for the granting of degrees to women. She obtained Master of Christian Education and Master of Divinity degrees from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. She was ordained deacon in 1975 and elder in 1977 in the Florida Conference. She received a Doctor of Ministry degree in 1991 from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.
Bishop Kammerer's service in the church has included equal years in parish ministries and connectional ministries, including service as a campus minister at Duke University and as a district superintendent of the Tallahassee District, Florida Conference. Her longtime interests in ministry include higher education, mission involvement, and the spirituality of administration. She has served as a director of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women and as a director of the General Board of Global Ministries, including chairperson of the United Methodist Committee on Relief from 1992-1996. She has received the Outstanding Alumnae Award from both Wesleyan College and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and has been honored with Doctor of Divinity degrees from Bethune-Cookman College (FL), Pfeiffer University (NC) and Wesleyan College (GA).
She was married to Leigh Kammerer on August 29, 1970. Leigh was born in Wisconsin and grew up in Florida. Leigh is currently a substance abuse and addictions counselor and directs the Intake Program for HPIP, Health Professional Intervention Program, related to VCU Health Systems in Richmond.
Leigh and Charlene have one son, Chris, who serves in the U.S. Navy. They have two grandchildren, Christopher and Noelle.
Bishop Kammerer enjoys walking, reading for fun, pottery and fine art, theater and movies, and the nurturing of friendships.
Rev.Dr.John N. Vest, District Superintendent
Church on the Charlottesville District on January 1, 1976 as a part-time student local pastor. A student at Madison College (now James Madison University) in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Rev. Vest remained at the church for 18 months and moved to the Blue Ridge Charge on the Harrisonburg District. During his 5 years as pastor there, he earned at Bachelor of Music Education degree from JMU and Master of Divinity from Eastern Mennonite Seminary.
Following graduation from seminary, Rev. Vest was appointed Associate Pastor at Monumental UMC on the Portsmouth District, then Pastor of Colonial Avenue UMC on the Norfolk District and Pastor of Northview UMC on the Roanoke District. While at Northview UMC he completed the requirements for a Doctor of Ministry degree from Boston University where his major course work was in the areas of pastoral counseling and leadership training.
In 1992, Rev. Vest became pastor of St. Luke UMC on the Richmond District and in 1996 was appointed Senior Pastor of Shady Grove UMC, a congregation of 1800 members on the Ashland District.
In 2005, Rev. Vest was appointed to the Virginia Cabinet and assigned to the Portsmouth District as superintendent. Over the years Rev. Vest has served Christ and the Church primarily in the areas of communication and education. He has been a District Christian Education Coordinator, District Council on Ministry Chairperson, adjunct college professor, Vice-president of Virginia United Methodist Family Services, President of Virginia United Methodist Communications, and Secretary of the Southeastern Jurisdiction Communication Committee. Currently, he serves as Secretary of the Cabinet. Rev. Vest and his wife, Kathie have been married since 1979 and they have two children, Byron and Melanie. They enjoy camping, traveling, photography, and cooking.
I was born in Roanoke, VA, 1970, to Tom and Connie Sixbey, as the last of three sons. My oldest brother, Steve, lives in Bedford County, VA, and Mark is my older brother, living near Rochester, NY. Believe it or not, I wasn’t born with a Bible in hand or a beard on my face! I grew up in the United Methodist Church, attending First UMC, Salem since I was a newborn. I attended Northside High School (Roanoke County), was involved in Scouts (my brothers and I all completed our Eagle in Troop 410 – Dad was our Scoutmaster), high school band, and Roanoke Youth Symphony, playing percussion. I was surprised to be accepted at UVa in 1988, and there I met my wife, Shan, at the Wesley Foundation, where I explored my calling to pastoral ministry. I graduated with a BA (Religious Studies, minor in Philosophy) in 1992, and began attending Duke Divinity School that year. The next year, from 1993-1994, Shan and I were married and moved to Anchorage, Alaska to serve a year-long youth minister internship at Anchor Park UMC . We came back, and I finished at Duke in 1996. During those four years at Duke, I served as an intern in 4 churches, served as a part-time chaplain at Rex Hospital for a year, and as an intern at the Raleigh Wesley Foundation for two years.
In 1996, we accepted our first appointment to pastor Woolwine and Ross-Harbour United Methodist Churches in Patrick County, while Shan began working on an MBA at Virginia Tech, which she completed in 1998. From there, Shan has worked full and part-time at Patrick Henry Community College, Ferrum College, Radford University, Virginia Western Community College, Johnson and Wales University, Tidewater Tech Online (now Centura College), and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Needless to say, Shan is as resourceful as any person you will ever meet. I went on to serve Gogginsville United Methodist Church from 1999-2004, and I have been here at Beech Grove United Methodist Church since then. Being both in need of more training and torture, Brian began a D.Min. program through Asbury Seminary in 2007. (Actually, I started the program because I realized I didn’t have enough skills or understanding to fulfill the basic pastoral responsibility in Ephesians 4 – to equip the saints for the work of ministry.)
Our family first expanded by the adoption of two black cats, Epangellion and Musterion (Greek for mystery and promise), and the birth of our favorite son - Caedmon (2000) and our favorite daughter - Catriona (2002). If you like history, ask us where these names come from! I would tell you their histories, but they deserve to tell you in their own words and ways.
My (Brian) basic understanding of church is this: While it is entirely possible to go to heaven apart from the church, it is not possible to live on this earth as God created us to live without the joy, frustration, restoration, and community of a group of devoted Christ-followers. Jesus did not start the institutional church per se, but His example shows us that faith without community, just like faith without works, is dead. The Christian life is more about our willingness to be broken, humble, and hopeful (at the same time) than it is about being honored, right, and world-weary. Beech Grove, like all her pastors, is not without either flaws or greatness. I invite you to join me on a journey without the pretense that we don’t need God or each other. Life is too short to live it lonely and weary – come and be challenged, refreshed, and reconnected!