Rev. Dr. Sarah Wiles (she/her)
Pastor/Head of Staff

Sarah Wiles became pastor at BPC in 2020. She grew up in North Carolina and is a graduate of Wake Forest University, Union Theological Seminary in New York City (MDiv), and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary where she completed a Doctor of Ministry in Creative Writing and Public Theology. Prior to serving at BPC, Sarah served churches in Tacoma, WA and Ann Arbor, MI. She and her husband are parents to twins. She believes firmly in the restorative powers of homemade food, long naps, and laughing until you can’t breathe. She loves poetry, Jeopardy, and action movies. You can reach Sarah by emailing her at pastorsarah@blacksburgpres.org.

Rev. Emily Rhodes Hunter (she/her)
Parish Associate and UKirk Campus Minister

Rev. Emily Rhodes Hunter joined BPC as a parish associate in 2021 and also serves as the Presbyterian campus minister for UKirk at Virginia Tech. Prior to these roles, Emily has served as a bereavement counselor and chaplain at Good Samaritan Hospice and Montgomery Hospice. She has also held pastoral roles at Hermon Presbyterian Church and The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Emily holds both a Masters of Patient Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Masters of Divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary. She and her husband, Stuart, are parents to two young children: Eliza and Miles. You can reach Emily by emailing her at emily@blacksburgpres.org.

Sarah Windes (she/her) Coordinator of Church Life

Sarah Windes was appointed as Coordinator of Church Life in November 2019. She is a certified Christian Educator with a master’s degree from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, VA. In the 1980s and 1990s, she served nine years as Director of Christian Education for The Presbyterian Church of Radford, Virginia.

As Coordinator of Church Life, Sarah is responsible for maintaining and supporting congregational activities. She helps organize, publicize, and plan congregational activities and programs, and she coordinates ways for church members and volunteers to connect to and be supported in these activities and programs.

Sarah is a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, with a degree in English. She has been a volunteer with BPC since she became a member in the mid-1990s, and has served as Sunday school teacher, elder, chair of worship, chair of adult education, and most recently, leader of the Creation Care Team, which links with her volunteer community service as a Virginia Master Naturalist. She has two adult sons. You can reach Sarah by emailing her at sarah@blacksburgpres.org.

Susan Bailey (she/her)
Interim Director of Children Ministries

Susan is a wife to Phil, mother to Elise and Ben, and daughter of Marti and Dave Snyder who are also BPC members. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech and has spent her entire career teaching children at the elementary and preschool levels. At BPC, Susan teaches Sunday School, helps with VBS, serves on the MANNA team, and occasionally ushers in church. Susan and her family love to travel, play board games, and play in an annual croquet tournament.

Jenny Fairchild (she/her)
Interim Director of Youth Ministries

Jenny grew up in the NRV and boomeranged back almost two years ago. She has always worked in non-profit and church sectors because she believes that good churches/organizations grow good disciples that transform the world. She loves stories, moving her body, petting dogs, and hanging out with friends and family, especially Micah, her hubby, and Jonah, their son.

Alice Brooks Sanders (she/her)
Director of Music and Organist

Alice brings with her a long history of leading church music in PC(USA) congregations in Oklahoma and Tennessee. She has a Bachelor of Music in piano with a minor in organ from Baylor University, as well as a Master of Music in piano from the University of Oklahoma. In addition to her church work, Alice has performed in numerous collaborative recitals, maintained a private piano studio, taught preschool music classes, taught applied and classical piano at the college level, and worked as a staff accompanist at several universities. When not involved in musical pursuits, Alice is probably in the garden. She enjoys growing vegetables and has a particular interest in native plants and butterflies. You can reach Alice by emailing her at alice@blacksburgpres.org.

Rhonda Waller (she/her)
Church Administrator

Rhonda Waller began work with BPC in August 2020. She brings with her a varied work experience, including in the medical administrative field and as an early childcare educator.  Rhonda maintains the scheduling of all activities with BPC as well as communication, and manages a host of other tasks that keep things on track and running smoothly here. She grew up in southeast Kentucky before attending Berea College then transferring to University of Kentucky, graduating with a B.A. in English/creative writing and a history minor. A long-time resident of Roanoke before moving to Radford, she currently resides with one of her children and her other two children live in Richmond, VA, and Georgia. You can reach Rhonda by emailing her at rhonda@blacksburgpres.org.