Jim Allen

Sr. Warden

My name is Jim Allen, and I am honored to be nominated to run for a Vestry position. My wife Kris and I joined SItL last year. We relocated to Richmond from Northern Virginia a few years ago, and after visiting several churches in the metro area we were happy to find SItL. We felt welcomed and were made comfortable, by both the congregation and the clergy, from our very first Sunday here. We look forward to meeting more of the family and becoming more involved at SJtL.

We were members of St. David's Episcopal Church in Ashburn, VA for over 20 years, and there I served on the Vestry (…

George Field

Jr Warden

St. James the Less has been my church home and my spiritual center for over thirty years. In past service, I have completed two previous vestry terms and am currently completing the term of a vestry member who was not able to finish her term. I would be very honored to serve for another three-year term. Over the years, I have enjoyed being active in the church, serving as a Chenery Committee member, Shrine Mont Parish Retreat organizer, recycler, Supper Club Coordinator for many years, Property Warden and Parish Life Warden, Petersburg Work Camp chaperone, ROMEOs co-convener, and other…

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…

Melissa Hoar

Vestry Member

I'm a cradle Episcopalian and long-time member of St. James the Less. As a child, my siblings and I were active in Sunday School, Choir, Youth Group, and Acolyte ministries. My parents were also active in the church. These early experiences created a life-long love for the Episcopal church and the community of St. James the Less.

My husband John and I were married at St. James the Less in 1985. We served as Youth Group leaders for a couple of years until our daughters, Olivia and Rachel, were born. Both our daughters were Acolytes and active in Youth Group at St. James the Less.

Melissa Roberts

Vestry Member

As a cradle Episcopalian, I have been a member of St. James the Less for 51 (!) years. Church was a family affair for us growing up. Since my time at this church, I have been part of the Youth Group and a Youth Group leader, a member of the youth choir and adult choir, and was one of the first two female acolytes at St. James the Less. I have worked with the clinic since its inception, taught Sunday school, served on the Chenery Committee and Vestry. Rick and I were married at this church. Our children, Kathryn and Chip, were baptized and grew up in this church. Most recently, our…

Nancy Chamlee

Vestry Member

In St. John’s Episcopal Church, Chase City Virginia, I was Baptized and Confirmed. As children, we learned early on how enjoyable and fun church was. The feeling stuck. Being in church today is still fun and enjoyable for me. I get strong feelings of love while in church.

Bob and I moved our membership from St. Thomas in Richmond to St. James the Less in 1995. We have enjoyed the loving relationship we feel strongly here.

Altar Guild, Hospitality, Bell Choir, Sunday School/ Adult Education, and being a Lector are things I participate in. I like being busy.

Trusting me to…

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…

Tripp Hudgins

Vestry Member

Thank you for considering me to serve on the Vestry. Though Trish, Elias, and I are quite new to the shared life of St. James The Less, my connections go back a half century to 1970 when I was baptized at the parish by The Rev. Hill Riddle. My parents lived in Ashland at the time and briefly made the parish their church home. They moved away shortly after.

I attended Patrick Henry High School (Conde Hopkins was one of my teachers) and the University of Richmond, where I received my BA in Religion, met Rock and Stephanie, and spent an inordinate amount of time in the choir room. I…

Sylvia Spagna

Vestry Member

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…