Ministers and staff at Mount Vernon

The Reverend Barry S. Foster
became pastor of Mount Vernon in July 2008. He was previously pastor at Raleigh Court UMC in Roanoke and from 2000 to 2004 was chaplain at Shenandoah University. He has served churches in Ashland, Richmond, and Winchester, and has led Voices of Youth teams all over the world. His wife, Susan, is a concert organist and harpsichordist and is currently the organist for Home Moravian Church in Winston-Salem. They have two sons; one lives in Columbia, S.C., and the other in Harrisonburg.

Beth Bauman,
director of youth ministries, has a degree in Christian education from Emory and Henry College and has worked with youth groups for many years. She is married to Dr. Briggs Bauman, and they have two children: a daughter who is a recent graduate of the University of Virginia and a son who attends George Washington High School.

 
Robert Sutter
is interim director of music at Mount Vernon. He is also the director of the Danville Area Choral Arts Society, and before retiring he was the director of music for First Presbyterian Church of Danville.

 
Lin Benefield
became the administrative secretary at Mount Vernon in July 2008. She's a graduate of the Kent State School of Journalism and for many years edited books for religious publishing houses. She and her husband, Gary, have one son and two grandchildren. 

Shirley Gammon,
Mount Vernon's financial secretary, joined the staff in 2005. She and her husband, Jack, have one son, one daughter, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Bonnie Williams
has been director of Mount Vernon's preschool, Children's House, for 13 years. She is a lifelong resident of Danville and received a bachelor of science degree in education from Averett University. Bonnie was previously with Danville Public Schools. She and her husband, Don, have two daughters and a granddaughter.