Staff

Emily J. Anderson

Pastor/Head of Staff

Rachel Parsons-Wells

Associate Pastor for Church Life & Family Ministries

Louden Young

Associate Pastor for Emerging Generations & Mission

Dan Hix

Parish Associate for Pastoral Care

Maddie McCullough

Communications Director

Fairlena Googe

Childcare Coordinator

Dana Patterson

Director of Children’s Music

Rob Britt

Director of Music

Stan Rushing

Parish Associate for Visitation

Jordan & Maddie Mccullough

FirstLight Music Coordinators

Trish Badgett

Parish Nurse

Amelia Geis

Welcome Table Coordinator

Peggy Rogers

Organist & Director of Handbell Choir

Ray Bryant

Facilities Manager

Cindi Reeves

Bookkeeper

Emily J. Anderson

Pastor/Head of Staff
865-983-0182 ext. 107
emily@newprovidencepres.org

Emily has served as our Pastor/Head of Staff since June 1999 and came to New Providence via Houston, Texas; Tampa, Florida; and Princeton, New Jersey. Among Emily’s many gifts, we are grateful for her outstanding sermons and her ability to juggle so many different tasks with grace and common sense.

Rachel Parsons-Wells

Associate Pastor for Church Life & Family Ministries
865-983-0182 ext. 122
rachel@newprovidencepres.org

Rachel grew up just north of here in Bristol, Tennessee, and, as she likes to say, she is President of the “Pastor’s Kid Support Network.”

When Rachel isn’t at church, you can find her in her garage, where she enjoys woodworking projects while keeping an eye on her children Brandon and Dylan as they play with their neighborhood friends. Rachel is also a podcast enthusiast who loves walking her dogs, Yoda and BB8, while listening to her favorite shows.

Rachel is married to Jacob Parsons-Wells, a talented mental health therapist who even bakes the bread for our communion services! Rachel’s spiritual gifts include napping (we all appreciate a good power nap!), engaging in witty banter, and coming up with creative ideas that she wishes she had more time for. And let’s not forget her love for carts, whiteboards, and coffee! Her go-to brew is a dark roast with half & half, no sweetener. Just the perfect pick-me-up!

Louden Young

Associate Pastor for Emerging Generations & Mission
865-983-1082 ext. 109
louden@newprovidencepres.org

New Providence is Louden’s first ordained call as a pastor. Previously, he served in various capacities at Decatur Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church Asheville. Most recently, he served as the chaplain at the Central Outreach and Advocacy Center in Downtown Atlanta, an organization dedicated to eliminating the experience of homelessness in Atlanta. While he was at Maryville College, Louden met his wife Elizabeth. She is a Mercer University graduate with a Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Louden enjoys cooking, games, talking sports, and any outdoor activity you can think of.

Dan Hix

Parish Associate for Pastoral Care
865-983-1082 ext. 105
dan@newprovidencepres.org

Stan Rushing

Parish Associate for Visitation
865-983-1082 ext. 116
stan@newprovidencepres.org

Stan has been a member of the staff since April 2008. He was a Baptist pastor for eighteen years, serving churches in Mississippi and Tennessee. Later he became certified as a marriage and family therapist and as a hospital chaplain and served in these capacities in Jackson, Mississippi. Stan is a photographer, primarily of nature, and has a deep spiritual connection to Sandhill Cranes.

Fairlena Googe

Childcare Coordinator
865-983-1082 ext. 119
children@newprovidencepres.org

Dana Patterson

Director of Children’s Music
865-983-1082 ext. 119
children@newprovidencepres.org

Rob Britt

Director of Music
865-983-1082 ext. 110
rob@newprovidencepres.org

Rob has been serving as Director of Music at New Providence Presbyterian Church since August 1987. Among his impressive music education and studies, Rob studied with John Rutter, Sir David Willcocks, Barry Rose, Joshua Rifken, and Steven Cleobury. He served Blount County schools for many years and recently retired as Superintendent of Schools for Blount County Schools. Rob is married to Liz Britt, who teaches music at the Webb School of Knoxville, and they have three wonderful children: Robbie, Rachel and Reece.

Jordan & Maddie Mccullough

FirstLight Music Coordinators
865-983-1082 ext. 102
maddie@newprovidencepres.org

Trish Badgett

Parish Nurse
865-983-1082 ext. 106
trish@newprovidencepres.org

Trish was born in Ft. Worth, Texas, and raised in Maryville. She has a BS in Nursing from East Tennessee State University and a certificate in Parish Nursing from Vanderbilt University. She had experience in hospital nursing, home health, and legal nurse consulting prior to coming to New Providence as Parish Nurse and Director of Bartlett Adult Day Out Program. Trish and her husband, Tim, have two sons: Clark and Thomas.

Amelia Geis

Welcome Table Coordinator
865-983-0182 ext. 118
Jordan.mccullough@maryvillecollege.edu

Peggy Rogers

Organist & Director of Handbell Choir
865-983-1082 ext. 103
peggyjrogers@charter.net

Peggy grew up in Alcoa and graduated from Maryville College with a major in Organ Performance In addition to accompanying and directing handbells at New Providence, Peggy teaches private piano and organ lessons and is the choral accompanist for William Blount High School and for MAACO. Peggy is an extraordinarily gifted organist and pianist whose beautiful music enhances our worship services week after week. All who know Peggy appreciate her ability to remain unruffled, her willingness to accompany musicians of all kinds and abilities, and her dry sense of humor. We are truly fortunate to have someone with Peggy’s extensive experience and keen understanding of music at New Providence.

Maddie McCullough

Communications Director
865-983-1082 ext. 102
maddie@newprovidencepres.org

Maddie has served at New Providence since 2020, when she began as an Interim FirstLight Music Coordinator. Now, Maddie and her husband, Jordan, serve as music coordinators for our early morning worship service, The Circle. Maddie began serving as our Communications Director in February of 2023.

Maddie graduated from Maryville College in 2018 with a BA in History, and received her MEd from Lincoln Memorial University in 2022. Before moving into her role as Communications Director, Maddie taught high school history and worked at Maryville College as a Financial Aid Counselor. Maddie loves playing music, reading books, and backpacking!

To send us pictures, submit information about an event, send an item for the bulletin or enews, or to reserve a space for your event, please contact our Communications Director here.

Ray Bryant

Facilities Manager
865-237-1661
ray@newprovidencepres.org

Ray joined New Providence in 2000 as a night custodian and after years of learning, gaining certifications and hard work is the Facility Manager. Ray maintains the buildings and grounds while directing staff and overseeing the upkeep of equipment and supplies. He makes sure the buildings and grounds are maintained, which entails daily and weekly cleaning schedules as well as determining and scheduling repairs, renovation projects, waste reduction improvements and safety inspections. Ray also negotiates with outside vendors for supplies, repairs and other measures

Cindi Reeves

Bookkeeper