Nancy Chamlee

Sr Warden

Nancy Chamlee’s journey in the Episcopal Church began in Chase City, Virginia, at St. John’s Episcopal Church, where she was both baptized and confirmed. These early years instilled in her a lifelong appreciation for the joy and fellowship found within the church—a feeling that continues to inspire her today.

In 1995, Nancy and her husband, Bob, moved their membership from St. Thomas in Richmond to St. James the Less. Since then, they have deeply valued the strong…

Sylvia Spagna

Jr Warden

We moved to Ashland in 1986 when George began teaching at Randolph-Macon College and we began attending St. James the Less the very first Sunday we were in town. That has never stopped – even attending virtual services during the Covid shutdown.  Our two daughters were raised in this church. The Rev. Amy Spagna is the rector of St. James Church in Woodstock, Vermont. Kim Cruz is an administrative law judge in the District of Columbia, where she lives with our son-in-law Mike and our grandson Evan.

I have served on the Vestry twice before, am a long-time member of the Altar Guild…

John Krause

Vestry Member

Hello SJTL Family! I’m John Krause. I am a seventh generation Episcopalian having been baptized at St Alban’s Episcopal Church in Sussex, Wisconsin a long, long time ago. My bride of almost 44 years (Geri) and I spent the first 20 years of our marriage moving around quite a bit during my Navy career. 

Our favorite church family (up until recently) was St. Andrews-by-the-Sea in San Diego, California. We spent five amazing years there and made some lifelong friends during that time. I was on the Vestry at St Andrews and was the junior warden the last year until we were transferred…

Beth Baxter

Vestry Member

Hi! I am relatively new to Ashland and began attending SJtL at the start of Covid after moving to Ashland from Glen Allen.  For the majority of my life, I was a practicing Methodist as I was raised by my parents in Knoxville, TN.  I have been touched by the kindness and caring of this community and have felt His love and presence through the amazing, dedicated staff and wholehearted kindness shown to me by many members. I decided to make SJtL my home and was confirmed by Bishop Stevenson after attending confirmation classes.

As a child, my parents instilled the value and…

Julie Ericksen

Vestry Member

My name is Julie Ericksen and I have been a lifelong Episcopalian and member of St. James the Less since 1998. During this time I have served on the vestry for 8 years and as Junior Warden. I currently serve as a Lector, Lay Eucharistic Minister, Counter, and Tech Support.  Additionally, I have served on the Stewardship Committee twice, taught K-1 Sunday school for three years, took three trips to the gulf coast to work on restoration efforts with my family, other parishioners, and the Tri-cities workcamp. My two children, now grown, participated in the youth group and Tri-cities work…

PK Kinser

Vestry Member

Ashland has been my home community for 35 years, and St. James the Less has been my church community for 22 years.  Before joining SJTL, I had been volunteering as a Middle School Youth Group leader since 1999 at a nearby church, and when my own children began approaching middle school age, I began searching for a church with their peers in the youth program.

In 2002 I began attending SJTL because of the vibrant youth program lead by Jane and Yancy Jones, Susan Hubbard, Valerie Lee (now Althoff), Richard Grosse, Aleta Meyer, and many others.

By 2004, Aleta and I were…

Richard Grosse

Vestry Member

Richard Grosse has been a member of St. James The Less for over 20 years. He has held many different positions at the church. He co-lead the youth group for seven years. He was the director of adult education under David Anderson. He was on the vestry seven years ago. 

Richard has been married to Debra Bernard for 38 years. They have two wonderful children brought up at St. James The Less, Dylan Grosse and Rachel Henley. Richard is a licensed clinical social worker. He has been a practicing psychotherapist in the community for over 40 years. Richard played Bass Guitar with the…

Derrick Rosser

Vestry Member

Hello, I am Derrick Rosser. My wife, Janet, and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary in April, 2024. We have three sons, Sam, Charlie, and Will. Our sons grew up attending St. James the Less.

Our first visit to St. James the Less was in June, 1993. Of course, Dick Shirey approached us immediately following the service and welcomed us. As I recall, Woodi Sprinkel stopped by our house later that afternoon. Suffice it to say, we felt welcome our first time here and never left (You can blame Dick and Woodi).

I have served as an usher, a senior high youth group leader, a vestry…

Barbara Bauserman

Vestry Member

St. James the Less has become a place of grounding, grace, and belonging for me. It would be an honor to give back by serving as a member of the Vestry.

My career has been spent helping those who are broken or wounded—from caring for the critically mentally ill to serving severely wounded active-duty service members on a polytrauma brain injury unit. Accompanying patients and educating families during some of the hardest moments of their lives was sacred work. It required steadiness, honesty, and a willingness to sit with pain while holding onto…

Jessica Dowdy

Vestry Member

Hi, my name is Jessica Dowdy, and I am a born and raised Episcopalian.  My earliest memories of church began with my parents driving us every Sunday down Broaddus Flats on our way to Immanuel Old Church with my dad singing away to Beatles music.  I grew up at Immanuel Old Church where I was baptized as a baby.  I grew up with active parents in church.  Both of my parents were members of the choir, so every Wednesday night I was brought along to choir practice.  My Dad served on the Vestry for several years at Immanuel and served as a lay minister as…

Douglas Bower

Vestry Member

I have been a lifelong Episcopalian, growing up at the Church of Our Savior in Somerset, MA.  Karen and I met in the Canterbury fellowship at Christ Church in Blacksburg.  We were married at All Saints Episcopal Church – Sharon Chapel in Alexandria.  Karen and I have been members of St. James the Less since 1997, with an extended excursion (2003-2021) to another Episcopal closer to our home in Mechanicsville.  Our oldest daughter Megan was baptized at St. James the Less, and our youngest daughter Molly was baptized at our diocese’s Cathedral at Shrine…

Rachel Reynolds

Vestry Member

Growing up in Florida, I was an active member and participant in congregations in the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Lutheran traditions. In high school, I served on the Board of Deacons in my home (Presbyterian) church. As an adult, I migrated towards the Episcopal church. We were active at Trinity Episcopal in Fredericksburg when we moved back to Virginia in 2001, and I served on the Vestry there. When we moved to Ashland in 2003, we slowly started attending St. James the Less and fully transferred our membership sometime around 2007. I currently live in Ashland with my…