Meet our new Interim Pastor,
Rev. Audrey C. Price, Ph.D.
The Rev. Dr. Audrey Price will begin her call to our congregation on July 1st. Pastor Audrey will lead her first worship service with Seneca Valley on July 6th. Soon after, several opportunities to meet Pastor Audrey in informal settings will be scheduled. In addition to leading worship, attending to the pastoral care of the congregation, and the many other tasks a settled, or “permanent pastor” is called to perform, as our intentional interim pastor, Rev. Price will also help us through the process of grief as we adjust to the departure of Pastor Holly and guide us through the search for a new settled pastor, including our own reflection and discernment of how the church wants to move forward and what characteristics, skills, and gifts we would seek in a new pastor.
Rev. Dr. Price is the former Deputy Director of the Religion and Society Program at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC. She managed the day-to-day implementation of the program strategy and led major initiatives, such as the Racial Justice & Religion and the Religion & Philanthropy initiatives. Previously, Rev. Price was the Executive Minister for Strategic Operations in the UCC Southern New England Conference (SNEUCC during its inaugural years of formation. Prior to being called to the SNEUCC, Dr. Price was an Associate Conference Minister for Leadership Development in the UCC Central Atlantic Conference where she had stewardship for churches and clergy in the Catoctin and Shenandoah Associations spanning counties in Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia where she created and implemented leadership development programs for CAC clergy.
Pastor Audrey is an experienced interim pastor and has served as the Supply Senior Minister of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington, DC and as Interim Pastor at Webster Congregational Christian Church in Havre de Grace, MD. Rev. Dr. Price is a member of the Interim Ministry Network, an organization dedicated to the health and wellness of church congregations. She is also a certified interim minister after successful completion of a certificate program.
Dr. Price is passionate about social justice and theological education. She has broad experience as a Christian Educator in several denominations. Dr. Price served as the Director of Christian Education at Christ Congregational Church UCC in Silver Spring, MD having oversight of the educational ministries and training of lay leadership for service in Faith Formation. She worked as the Director of Christian Education at Leesburg Presbyterian Church in Leesburg, VA, guiding and supervising the Church School, Vacation Bible School, and Adult Education. Rev. Price served at Covenant Baptist UCC as the Minister of Christian Education, Discipleship Training teacher and ministerial team leader. Rev. Price worked as a teaching fellow at The Catholic University, during her post graduate work and she currently is adjunct faculty at Wesley Theological Seminary.
Rev. Dr. Price’s formation in ministry commenced at First Baptist Church of Vienna, VA, in 2002 where she served as an Associate Minister and as the Director of Christian Education. Rev. Dr. Price was ordained at the Covenant Baptist Church in the American Baptist Churches USA. Three years later, Rev. Price became an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. She is a trained Racial Justice Facilitator.
Rev. Dr. Price’s vocational call is one of Pastoral Leader and Educator.
Rev. Dr. Audrey Price achieved a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at The Catholic University of America in Systematic Theology with a concentration in Liberation Theology. Her dissertation: Theological Aesthetics in the African American Anthropologies of Emilie Townes and Shawn Copeland. She earned a Master of Philosophy degree at the Catholic University of America, a Master of Divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington, DC), and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (Huntsville, AL).
Dr. Price is a native of Montgomery, Alabama and has lived in the Washington DC metropolitan area for over 30 years. In her “spare time” Rev. Price indulges her passion of reading, traveling to new places, officiating basketball and her newfound joy of riding motorcycles. She is married to Augustine Angba and together they have four wonderful adult children.
Rev. Price is inspired and guided in her daily life
by the following precepts:
“But seek first the kingdom of God, and God’s righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” – Matt. 6:33
"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style." – Maya Angelou
George Henry Benskin V (he/him) began attending the United Church of Christ of Seneca Valley in 2007. Four years later, he played his first full service for the UCCSV on Christmas Day in 2011, and now does so more regularly as a confirmed member and as the Co-Minister of Music & Accompanist at UCCSV. As of 2019, he has attained an Associate of Arts degree in Music from Montgomery College, with a focus on Piano Performance, and began study at his current institution, George Mason University to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Music with a focus in Composition - his lifelong calling, as well as his frequent work teaching music theory, piano, and mentoring beginning composition students.
While available to substitute as pianist for various churches and parishes in the area since 2012, George has always felt called home to this church still today, and certainly from the first dedicated offertory special music it heard and accepted on that aforementioned 2011 Christmas Day - a well-timed arrangement of “You’re A Mean One, Mister Grinch” - a poignant repertoire choice during the passing of offering plates. Yet, however amusing the resulting anecdote, that choice spoke well to the UCCSV’s willingness to continue fostering his musical growth afterward for years to come, despite - or because of - his sense of humor that day.
George is always faithfully listening to the sermon, and to everything around him in the sanctuary. It isn’t only to attune to the energy in the room and adapt it to the liturgy happening in that moment, but it is also because he truly believes in the importance of not just hearing, but listening, whether it is the living Word, the joyful noise of a child in the Prayground next to his piano bench, or even the silence of grief. To him, all three of those are the same thing.
As her mother told it, Catherine came out singing: Commercial jingles, TV theme songs, and learning show tunes and standards her mom. Embarrassing her siblings, Catherine enthusiastically joined in the congregational singing at the Folk Mass at church.
After her first child, Damian, was born, Catherine officially joined her first church choir and soon expanded her ministry to cantor. Attending annual conferences for the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, Catherine attended intensives on liturgical music planning & children’s choir directing and was among the first ten people to earn a Basic Cantor Certificate. She has trained and performed with internationally recognized musicians on music interpretation and animation as well as songwriting and has enjoyed performing all genres of sacred music from classical and hymns to gospel and contemporary. She has also served as cantor and chorister for multilingual celebrations. Catherine performed in two auditioned Papal Mass choirs for the visits of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. In 2006, she produced and recorded a CD project with her music partner, Alan, and organized concerts in local churches for its distribution.
In addition to her cantor and choir ministry, she also directed children’s choir for 7 years and launched a youth cantor program at her most recent church. Previously, she has used her experience to assist in building a new mission community and start a music program from scratch. The part of her experience that has been a most significant calling is her ministry with bereaved families as cantor for funerals and memorials.
Although her 20-year professional career has been primarily in the Catholic Church, Catherine and her family have been attending UCCSV since 2007 and she has volunteered in the choir as often as she was able while maintaining a career requires working most Sundays. She was drawn by the community’s generous welcome and support for her now adult children and the kindness and authenticity of the congregation. Catherine is so pleased to be able to bring her professional experience to her chosen church and to be sharing the responsibilities and joys with her son, George.
In addition to her music endeavors, Catherine is currently office manager for an excellent local chiropractor where she has worked for 15 years. She and her husband, George enjoy going to theatre productions: from local HS & community theater to the Kennedy Center. They also stay fit under the training of their senior rescue Boston Terrier/ Chihuahua Trixi who walks a surprising 3 miles a day.
Shelly (She/her) has been a member of the United Church of Christ since 2014, and joined Seneca Valley in 2015, after stepping away from the United Methodist Church. She is a graduate of Longwood University (2000) with a BA in history and political science, and a concentration in pre-law. Shelly then attended Old Dominion University, where she earned her teaching certificate in secondary history and social studies education. She taught middle school and high school in both rural and urban settings in southern Virginia. In 2009, she relocated from the Eastern Shore to enter Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., graduating in 2014 with a master’s in divinity. During her incubation at seminary, Shelly was a youth pastor and leader of Christian Education; followed by a two-year internship in chaplaincy at a local retirement community and then two years at Mary Washington Hospital, earning 2.5 clinical pastoral education units.
Shelly, with her diverse background in many fields of education, brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to the position of Office and Communications Manager at UCCSV. And since she is also a member of the church, Shelly has a vested interest in the flourishing of our faith community in Germantown. Being Office and Communications Manager means Shelly supports the Pastor and the Church in a multiplicity of ways: managing communications (in our weekly newsletter, The Spirit News, on our website, print media, email, and social media); managing the office (bills, payroll, database, ordering supplies); as well as entertaining visitors and friends at the Church Office. Thankfully, Shelly is a curious learner with a willingness to engage in new experiences.
Shelly is passionate about social justice, inclusivity, hospitality, and caring for the earth. Her many interests include cooking, learning, music, camping, stargazing, traveling, socializing, watching Jeopardy, walking in nature, and being in the presence of water features. Shelly is married to Dave, and they have their beloved dog, Louie.
