Meet The Staff
Rev. Joe Cailles
Pastor Joe was raised in Southern Indiana, near Louisville, Kentucky.
He's been serving United Methodist congregations in Virginia for 25 years, and his passion for ministry is
as strong as ever.
Pastor Joe and his wife, Kim, have been married for 17 years.
Pastor Joe has two sons, Joshua who is 15 and Jacob who is 13.
Rev. Andrew LaBar-Dietz,
Deacon of Discipleship
Andrew is a fourth generation clergyperson and a recent graduate of Drew Theological School in Madison, NJ. He has a passion for worship, education, music, and camping ministries and loves finding new ways to intersect those fields. He is a church history nut, board game enthusiast, and spends much of his free time in a hammock. He is happily married to his wife Danielle. Email Andrew.
Noémi Szigeti Lee,
Director of Sanctuary Music
Noémi was born and raised in Romania. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Gh. Dima Music Academy of Cluj, Romania, and her Master of Music degree in piano performance at the University of Alabama. Noémi served as the music director at Saint Thomas More Catholic Church. She also teaches piano and maintains an independent studio. Mrs. Lee is an active performer in Lynchburg, both as a soloist and as a chamber musician.
Email Noémi.
Cindy Harding,
Business Manager
Cindy has been the Business Manager for several other local United Methodist Churches and brings over 26 years of experience with her to our staff. She has served many pastors that we know and that have served here. Welcome, Cindy!
Kim Ness,
Church Administrator
Kim joined the staff in September 2014. She and her husband, Jon, have three children, Hannah, Sawyer, and Jack and each is a graduate of Peakland Preschool. Kim's responsibilities include managing the front office and overseeing the daily operation of the church as well as scheduling. She is also the facility manager. and designs the weekly bulletin and newsletter. Kim keeps track of the church membership records as the Membership Secretary. Email Kim.
Robert Armstead,
Custodian
Robert's responsibilities include opening and closing the building and operating the heating/cooling equipment during the week and on Sunday mornings, and maintaining the cleanliness of the facility during the week. Robert has been Peakland's custodian since 1987.
Rev. Jane Whitehead, Director
of Senior Adult Ministries
Rev. Jane L. (Jane) Whitehead was born in Lynchburg and has lived in Lynchburg all her life. She is a graduate of Mary Washington College and prior to answering the call to ministry worked as a legal assistant and mortgage loan processor. She is retired from her secular position.
Pastor Jane was raised in Rivermont Avenue Baptist Church in Lynchburg where she served as head of Ladies Ministry, taught an adult Sunday School Class, and sang in the choir. She also helped start a mission center at Rivermont Avenue that did food distribution from Parkview. In addition to distributing food from Parkview, the mission center also had a hair salon, where Pastor Jane did manicures and helped with devotions and prayer ministry.
Pastor Jane is married to Andy Whitehead, and they have three furry children. Dog, Izzy, and cats, Phantom and Chrissie.
Email Jane.
Annie Williams,
Preschool Director
Annie grew up within the walls of Peakland United Methodist Church. She moved to Lynchburg when she was 10 and has since been active in the church. After graduating from the University of Lynchburg with a B.S. in Marketing, she moved to Durham, NC. Annie wore many hats as the office manager of a stationery manufacturer in Raleigh, NC. Since she was young, Annie has always enjoyed working with children. Ultimately, her love for children led her to teach preschool. She worked at Grove Park Preschool in Durham, then served as a 3-year-old teacher at Peakland prior to their move back to Lynchburg.
Annie and her husband, Eddie, moved back to Lynchburg to raise their children and to be close to their families. Annie and Eddie have 2 young, active boys (Owen and Walker). They spend most of their weekends on the soccer field or at swim meets.
Email Peakland Preschool. Or check out their website.