OUR LEADERSHIP
Dr. Matthew Tennant
Senior Minister
​
Dr. Matthew Tennant has degrees from Carson-Newman College, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, and University of Oxford. Matt worked in the world of finance before being called into ministry. He and his wife Melanie love living in Charlottesville and enjoy almost any outdoor activity, especially sailing, scuba diving, and hiking. Before coming to UBC in 2017, he served as the Senior Pastor of Kilmarnock Baptist Church in Kilmarnock, VA, for 8 years. He has written several books, including Freedom and Existence (De Gruyter 2023) and Crossing the Lines We Draw (Judson Press 2020). Matt and Melanie have two sons in college, Dean and Eddy.
Rev. Elizabeth Rickert Dowdy
Interim Associate Minister
​
Rev. Elizabeth Rickert Dowdy is a graduate of the University of Richmond and
Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, where she
earned her Master of Divinity in 2004. Elizabeth first served as Pastor of two
small Baptist churches in Cumberland, Virginia, for seven years. Then she
began chaplaincy training in Richmond and worked for three summers as
the Conference Planning Assistant for the Hymn Society in the U.S. and
Canada. She moved to continue her spiritual care training in
Fredericksburg, Virginia, where she served for eight years as a Chaplain
while training as a Chaplain Educator. Now at UBC, she works primarily
with children and youth. She is the mother of two dynamic daughters who
are sixteen- and fourteen-years-old.
Rev. Susan Deal
Intentional Interim Minister of Music
​
Rev. Susan Deal holds a Master of Music in Church Music from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Ft. Worth, Texas) and a Bachelor of Music Education from Samford University (Birmingham, Alabama). Susan has recently retired after 30 years as a Minister of Music, serving churches in Georgia, Florida, and Virginia. In addition to her ministry at UBC, Susan works with CBF's Thriving in Ministry initiative as a Facilitator for the Church Musicians Cohort. She is also the Project Manager for The Harmony Project, a research initiative asking church musicians what they need to flourish and thrive in worship and music ministry. Susan and her husband, Tommy, feel as if they have returned home, readily admitting that the primary reason they now live in Virginia is to be close to their three grandchildren--Thomas and his twin cousins, Adeline and Dorothy.
Will Cooke
Jubilate & Voces Laetae Director
​
Will Cooke has been a fixture in Charlottesville since 2007, and joined us at UBC in 2021 to lead our music programs. He is the Choral Director at Charlottesville High School (CHS) where he leads four choirs, in addition to Voces Laetae, a community youth choir he started at UBC in 2022! Born in Keysville, VA, Will grew up attending Ash Camp Baptist Church, and has led music programs in a variety of settings, including the United Church of Christ and the Episcopal Church. He went to college at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he received a degree in music education. Will and his husband David are both beloved educators in the community, and together they have been providing foster and respite care for seven years. In the summers, they can often be found at their favorite vacation spot at Ocracoke Island!
Barbara Moore
Organist
​
Barbara Taylor Moore has served as Organist and Principal Accompanist since 1987. She holds the Bachelor of Arts degree in music (piano and organ) from Mary Washington College, the Master of Music in Performance (organ) from Baylor University and has done postgraduate work at The University of Kansas and the Summer Organ Institute in Zwolle, The Netherlands. She is active as a private teacher of piano and organ and on the keyboard faculty of UVA. Barbara is a member of The Wednesday Music Club, the local chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and the Charlottesville Music Teachers’ Association and she is a volunteer firefighter with the Charlottesville Fire Co. Her husband, Jim, is also an active member of UBC.
Linda Weirich
Office Coordinator
​
Linda Weirich holds a BS degree in mathematics from the University of Richmond. She joined the UBC staff in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in church administration. She has also recently retired as a Music Director, serving several churches in Virginia. She has a son, 2 daughters, and 5 grandchildren.
Amanda Ohlms
Financial Coordinator
​
Amanda holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from UVA and a master's degree in Counseling from UNC Greensboro. She worked as a counselor in Augusta County before becoming a stay-at-home mom for 12.5 years. Amanda and her family (husband Peter and two children, Luna and Micah) have attended UBC for many years. Amanda was excited to join the UBC staff as the Financial Coordinator in 2022.
Thomas Hill
Custodian
​
Thomas Hill, the longest serving member of our staff, has been our custodian since 1982. Thomas is well respected and is always helpful and generous. He and his wife Nellie have two sons and four grandchildren. Thomas’s favorite pastime is fishing.
Alaysia Toney
Social Media Coordinator
​
Alaysia graduated from Longwood University in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, with a concentration in Digital Media. She grew up in Buckingham County. Alaysia joined the UBC staff in 2023 and enjoys her time building relationships with others and has found herself becoming more knowledgeable about Christ every day. She loves to apply her social media skills and gifts in her work for the church.
.png)
Alan Hendricks
Church Administrator
​
Alan serves as the Church Administrator and is responsible for database and IT management, building maintenance, and general administrative duties. Before taking on his volunteer role at UBC, Alan worked as an electrical engineer and program manager for maritime navigation and control systems.
Rev. Tommy Deal
Education Coordinator
​
Tommy has a Master of Arts in Religious Education and has served three Baptist churches in Texas, Georgia and Virginia as Minister of Education. He has served as consultant and leadership trainer in education administration for Georgia and Virginia Baptists, as well as Congregational Consultant with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.