Meet the Staff

Rev. Susie Thomas

Lead Pastor

Susie began her ministry at Farmville UMC in 2020. Ordained in 2012, she came to Virginia from the Louisiana Conference, where she served for 12 years. Her spiritual gifts lie in the areas of preaching, teaching, and getting to know people over coffee in local coffee shops. Susie has a strong orientation towards connecting the unconnected and towards making the Gospel known in new ways in a rapidly-changing landscape. She is married to Britt Thomas, an intellectual property consultant. Their daughters Olivia and Katherine live in Baltimore and Charlottesville, respectively.

Rev. Lyndsie Blakely

Minister of Youth

Lyndsie is an ordained deacon, serves as our Minister of Youth and has been serving at Farmville UMC since 2010. She is a graduate of Virginia Wesleyan College and Duke Divinity School. Lyndsie and her husband, Josh, enjoy being in ministry with middle and high school students and being a part of the music ministries at FUMC. They have two boys, Noah and Jeremiah.

Brandy Hogan

Children's Ministry & Christian Education Director

Brandy is our Director of Education and Children’s Ministries. She has been with Farmville UMC since June 2017. She supports our Sunday School and short/long-term small groups, children’s programming, and special events. She is a 2017 Longwood graduate and teaches at Victoria Elementary School.

Tracey Oddo

Office Manager

Tracey Oddo, our Office Manager, joined us in July of 2017. She and her husband Walt Oddo enjoy hiking and climbing as well as hanging out with their two Shiz Tzus. The Oddos are members of New Life, where they serve with the dream team.

Carolyn Martin

Financial Secretary

Carolyn is our Financial Secretary and joined our staff in the spring of 2020. She is responsible for recording donations to the church, whether in our weekly offering, capital campaign gifts, or other one-time donations.

Kevin & Kaitlin Callihan

Music Directors

Dr. Kevin Callihan is the Director of the Wind Symphony and Assistant Professor of Music Theory, Music Education, and Low Brass at Longwood University. Kaitlin Callihan is a PhD candidate at the University of Kentucky and is the Lead Teacher at the Longwood University Andy Taylor Center for Early Childhood Development. The Callihans have taught music at the middle school, high school, and university levels and hold degrees from Morehead State University, The Ohio State University, Northwestern University, and the University of Kentucky. Previously, Kevin and Kaitlin held faculty positions at Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, KY.

Dr. Gordon Ring

Organist

Rev. Justin Hicks

Director of Wesley Foundation

Bennie Walker

Custodian