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Clergy and Staff of St. Thomas

St. Thomas' Church Office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.
The Reverend Herbert Jones
Rector

Herbert Jones currently serves as rector of St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, where he has been since 2017. Baptized in the Methodist Church, his earliest memories of church are from the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Richmond where his parents joined when he was a child. As a youth, he was very active at St. James’s in the Fan District of Richmond. As a young adult, Herbert worked as a counselor at St George’s Camp at Shrine Mont as well as the Shrine Mont kitchen staff. His first professional career was as a lawyer in Richmond, where his practice primarily focused on criminal defense cases that originated in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations courts of Richmond and the surrounding counties. Later in life, Herbert re-embraced an earlier call to ordained ministry. He attended Union Presbyterian Seminary where he received a Masters of Divinity followed by a year at Virginia Theological Seminary in the Anglican Studies program. Herbert was ordained as a priest in 2011 and served as vicar at Church of Our Saviour in Montpelier before coming to St. Thomas'.

The Reverend R. Dale Smith
Associate Priest

Dale grew up in Cumberland County, Virginia, where he was raised in the Methodist Church.  He joined the Episcopal Church through the parish of St. Mark’s on Arthur Ashe Boulevard, where he also discerned a call to ordination.  He completed his theological education at Union Presbyterian Seminary and Church Divinity School of the Pacific, and was ordained as a priest in January 2024.  His ministry interests include adult formation, the intersection of faith and the arts, and the sharing of good news through proclamation and justice work.  Before ordination, Dale was a member of the VCU Department of English, where he taught literature and creative writing courses, in addition to advising many students. A longtime resident of Richmond, he lives near Carytown with his husband John, a retired nurse practitioner.

The Reverend Christine Garcia
Deacon

I was in the second cohort in the Diocese of Virginia to be ordained a vocational Deacon. I did my practicum at Christ Ascension in 2011, where I remained after being ordained in 2012 and where I served for over ten years. I've maintained a bible study at Goochland Correctional every week for the last twelve years, and participate in an in-prison Kairos two or three times a year. I am looking forward to sharing the needs of the marginalized in the community and the world with St. Thomas'. 

Katie Cosby
Robinson’s Minister for Youth 

As the Youth Minister, Katie has as her ongoing goal to continue to create a fun and welcoming youth group. Her mind and heart are set on this as she knows that a church is a vehicle for outreach, and this has always been at the forefront of her mission in life.

Kristin Cummings
Food Pantry Director

Kristin has been a part of the Food Pantry since 2013, taking on the role of Volunteer Coordinator in 2020 and Director in 2022. She’s a licensed clinical social worker with a Masters in Social Work, lives in Bellevue with her husband and three children and has been a member of St. Thomas' for nearly 20 years. Kristin enjoys spending time with her family, looking up at the stars, making homemade pizza and, of course, Stevie Wonder. She’s passionate about economic and food justice and is crazy about the fabulous food pantry team at St. T’s!

Jimmy Hicks
Organist & Choirmaster

Jimmy Hicks joined us as our Organist/Choirmaster in January 2018. Jimmy previously served Immanuel Episcopal church in the same capacity for 25 years. As a long-time resident of the Bellevue neighborhood, being at St. Thomas' is like "coming home."  We are delighted to have him as our organist and a part of our church family.

Christi McFadden
Financial Administrator

Christi has been with St. Thomas' staff since 2012. As our old-timer, she has enjoyed working with the staff and parishioners on many different projects.  She is currently the financial administrator and enjoys racking her brain to keep the accounting and bills straight!

Abby Outlaw
Parish Administrator

Abby joined St. Thomas' staff as Parish Administrator in late 2018.  She is a classically-trained soprano who performs regularly as a soloist and with professional ensembles including The Virginia Chorale, the Piedmont Singers of Central Virginia, the Schola Cantorum of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, and Sanctuary, St. Stephen's compline choir. In her free time, she loves to travel, bake, and spend time with her husband, daughter, and hound dogs. 

Cyndi Schulte
Food Pantry Volunteer Coordinator

Cyndi Schulte joined the St. Thomas' Food Pantry team as a volunteer in late 2020 during the height of the Covid pandemic.  New to Richmond, she was looking forward to getting out into the community, getting to know people and especially to help others, which has always given her the most satisfaction in ways to spend time.  Cyndi is a former elementary school teacher on the West Coast and is a mother of three grown children.  In her spare time, Cyndi enjoys meeting new people, playing tennis and Pickleball, hiking, bike riding, and being an active and engaged member of the Museum District neighborhood community.  She is so excited to be joining the St. Thomas' team and is hoping to help further the important mission of the St. Thomas' Food Pantry!  

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