Virginia has been my home for 50 years. Born and raised in what was once the home of the finely crafted furniture of Stanley and Bassett, I attended Stanleytown UMC from birth till I took my own first appointment as a pastor in 1999.

I am married to the most wonderful woman, Virginia, who is a gifted interpreter of ASL and serves in a social work capactity in a local public school system. I have four children. 

I have served appointments in rural communities like Collierstown and Callaway as well as cities such as Salem and Danville. My formal religious education began at Ferrum College with a B.A. in Religion and Philosophy, and ended at Duke University with a Masters Degree in Divinity from the seminary at Duke Divinity. I returned to Ferrum as an adjunct professor teaching the Introduction to Biblical Literature course for two years.

My work interests include: music, liturgy, worship, and the intersection and conflicts in religion and science.

My personal interests include: music, reading, sci-fi, podcasts on many varied topics, and crosswords.

Mike is a wonderful and talented musician. Not only does he play for our services but Mike also directs the choir. If you are interested in the music ministry of Mount Olivet United Methodist Church please feel free to email Mike.

The Choir has recently resumed meeting since Covid caused so many activities to pause for an extended period. We practice every other Sunday at 2:30pm and will soon announce a definite rehearsal schedule. Feel free to join us!