Veranita Alvord, Pastor

Veranita began her tenure at Francis Asbury in the summer of 2011.  She and her husband, The Rev. Joe Tarpley have two children, Olivia and Ivan.  Ivan and Olivia have great senses of humor, mainly due to their Dad.  Joe is the pastor at Oakhill United Methodist Church.  As a clergy couple, Joe and Veranita like to say they are “doubly cursed” or “doubly blessed” it depends on the Sunday!

Veranita was born in Zimbabwe, Africa (that’s why she has such a unique and/or weird name).  Her parents were missionaries with The United Methodist Church.  When she was 8 years old, her family moved back to the US due to a Civil War in Zimbabwe which made it unsafe for them to stay.  This was a pretty tough transition as they left most of her Dad’s family in Zimbabwe. 

Since then, she has lived in Advance, Wilkesboro, Marion, Greensboro, Atlanta, Charlotte and Shelby.  She studied English Literature at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and then went straight to seminary at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta where she received a Master of Divinity (’94) and a Master of Theology (’97).  Seminary is where Joe and Veranita fell in love in a class focused on the systematic theology of Paul Tillich (they might be considered theological nerds…).  Joe is from Rome, Georgia and most of his family still lives in that area.  Veranita was ordained Deacon in the United Methodist Church in 1994 and Elder in 1999.  She has served Rico UMC (in North Georgia 1994-‘98), Dilworth UMC (1998-‘05) and Hoyle Memorial UMC (2005-2011). 

Because of her varied background, Veranita is interested in many different subjects.  She loves to dance, read poetry, play games and laugh.  Joe, Veranita, Olivia and Ivan welcome you to Francis Asbury and the United Methodist Churches in Hominy Valley!

Jess became our Choir Director in January 2011. Jess is a very talented and energetic musician and has added a lot of diversity and enjoyment to our choral pieces. Jess arranges a lot of the pieces the choir presents. Jess is also a very skilled pianist. We are very thankful to have Jess on staff here at Francis Asbury. Jess lives in Asheville, NC.

Glenda Faye Shook

Glenda Faye became our Custodian in October 2004. Glenda is in charge of our kitchen, and various other duties that she enjoys doing for her church and for God.  She lives in Candler, NC with her husband, Dan.

Danya became our Administrative Assistant in 2002.  Danya also leads our FROG Youth Group, Treasurer of our FAB Women’s group along with numerous other volunteer positions. Danya lives in Candler, NC with her husband, Allen, and children, Tyler & Kaylee.

Sharon has been with us for over 15 years. Sharon's love for the children of this church is so evident. And we are so thankful to have her. Sharon lives in Leicester, NC with her son, Levi.

Amy shares the nursery responsibilities and keeps nursery for special events and services which is such a blessing. Amy is wonderful with children and they just love her too. Thank you, Amy! You're a life saver. Amy lives in Candler, NC.