The Pastoral Staff

The Rev. Nina Nichols
Senior Pastor

Reverend Nina Nichols was appointed the Senior Pastor of Christ Church United Methodist in the summer of 2006. She was ordained an elder in full connection in 1997 and has served a number of congregations in the Central Texas and Northern Illinois conferences. Most recently, Nina worked on the staff of Scotia UMC as the Pastor for Leadership Development.

Nina has been active in a variety of ministries and committees, including the National Board for Methodist Federation for Social Action. She has served as senior pastor in communities from rural Texas to urban Chicago and has a specific passion for youth ministry.

Nina is originally from central Texas and has a BA from Trinity University and a M.Div. from the University of Chicago. She is married to Andrew Torres, PhD, a research scientist at GE Global Research. They have three children- Micah, Moses and Joseph- and recently moved to the East Side neighborhood in Troy. In addition to her work in the church, Nina is an avid runner. To date, she has completed 4 marathons and enjoys competing in 5K races.

Janet Douglass
Assistant Pastor

Janet arrived at Christ Church in February 1993, having moved to Troy from England, in 1991, after her husband, Mike, took up an appointment in the computing department of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. They came to the US with two of their three daughters: Alison, now an OB/GYN in Boston has a daughter of her own (born 2005); youngest child, Joanne, graduated from Southampton College of Long Island University in 2005 and moved back to northern England where she is training to become an accountant. Their oldest daughter, Rachel, also has a daughter and a computer company (www.edgeofmyseat.com), writes web design books and lives near London, England.

Janet writes: "I did not come from a worshiping family and I never had the slightest intention of being Methodist when I did find faith: but God had other plans."

As an Anglican (Episcopalian), not long after receiving her B.A. in French and German from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Janet moved to a "new town" with an ecumenical congregation comprising Anglican, Methodist and United Reformed members. Six years later, in 1982, the local Superintendent of the Methodist Church invited her to start training as "one of Mr. Wesley's preachers". In 1985 she became a fully accredited Local Preacher of the British Methodist Church, a lay position, serving in two circuits, the first of 17 congregations; the second of 6, both in the NE of England.

Originally in the U.S. on a non-working visa, Janet indulged many of her interests by volunteering locally: her 25 year involvement with alternative (fair) trading found expression at Peace Offerings, at the Social Justice Center in Albany; and a passion for the natural sciences and everything old through her work with Petrified Sea Gardens, a fossil reef, in Saratoga Springs but above all she volunteered in this congregation.

A few months after the long sought-after Green Card came through in 1998, Janet became an employee of Christ Church. "I am most fortunate in that I have been able to spend so much time on those things I care most about and especially thankful that at Christ Church I have found a community of faith where I can serve God and others and enjoy wonderful fellowship. The changes this congregation has undergone since I arrived in 1993 are truly staggering. Christ Church has built on its ancient past and embraced the future, developing its own worship style which fully engages our members as they plan worship, participate in it at every level, make music, create video pieces for worship and run our technology. What a blessing to be part of a congregation which so generously shares its bountiful talents!"

Eleanor VanPelt
Music Director

Eleanor has been Music Director at Christ Church since November 1999. The Adult Choir and the handbell choir, Christ Church Ringers, under Eleanor's leadership, provide music for Sunday worship as well as special programs, most notably Troy's annual Victorian Stroll. In the fall of 2006 she started the Joyful Noise Choir for ages 5-8 and in January 2007 a handbell choir for youth, ages 7 and up, will begin.

Eleanor also teaches piano to students at the Albany Academy for Girls and at a private studio. She holds an undergraduate degree in music from the Manhattan School of Music and a graduate degree from The College of Saint Rose.

The Rev. C. Joseph Ingraham
Pastor Emeritus

Rev. Ingraham, or Rev. Joe as he likes to be called, serves as the Pastor Emeritus of Christ Church. Rev. Joe served Christ Church from 1985-1997 and was officially elected as the church's Pastor Emeritus at the 1998 Annual Meeting of the Church. Previously Rev. Joe served churches in Stockport & Stockville; Lake Mahopac & Mt. Hope; White Plains, Memorial; and Ravena. He is also a trained counselor and has served as a Professor of Psychology at Endicott Junior College and Essex Community College.

Rev. Joe is a beloved member of the Christ Church community.