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The Reverend Penny A. Nash
Interim Rector

The Rev. Penny A. Nash was born and raised in Louisburg, North Carolina, attended Wake Forest University, earned a B.A. in creative writing from Florida State University, and worked in advertising and publishing in New York City before settling in Atlanta, Georgia. It was in The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, sponsored by her home parish All Saints Atlanta, that she was ordained to the diaconate in 2007 and the priesthood in 2008, after receiving her M.Div. from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Penny served in several parishes in the Diocese of Atlanta before moving to Williamsburg, Virginia, to serve at Bruton Parish Church as associate rector.

She arrived in Richmond in 2014 and served at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church for six years as associate rector and vicar of the evening community there.  In 2019 Penny began the coursework and certification process for intentional interim  ministry and is certified by both the Interim Ministry Network and the Center for Congregational Health for this specialized ministry. She’s served two full-time interims as well as another part-time one, most recently as Interim Rector at All Saints Richmond. She is very at home in large parish systems.

A self-proclaimed Church nerd, Penny is passionate about Jesus, church liturgy and music, the Bible (she was raised in the Baptist tradition), and church art and architecture. She’s also an avid reader, photographer, and adventurer who loves to travel and plan travel (especially to visit churches). Penny is married to Tom Cox, a retired attorney who is involved as a teacher and student in the OSHER program at the University of Richmond and also serves as the chairman of the board of Communities in Schools Richmond. They are the parents of three adult children and the servants of two cats.

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Amelia's head shot

The Reverend Amelia Arthur
Sen. Associate Rector

A native of the Bay Area of California, Amelia spent most of her childhood in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. A lifelong Episcopalian, Amelia has loved Jesus and the Episcopal faith as long as she can remember. Amelia graduated from Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina with a B.A. in History and concentrations in Art History and Gender Studies. Prior to ordination Amelia served on the staff of the Episcopal Service Corps, the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, St. Mark’s Cathedral in Minneapolis and St. Catherine’s in Marietta, GA. She earned her Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where she was the first non-lutheran woman to serve as Student Body President. Prior to serving at St. James’s Amelia was the Associate for Formation at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Edina, Minnesota, and also served as President of the Standing Committee for the Diocese of Minnesota from 2021-2022.  In addition to her work at St. James’s Amelia also serves on the boards of the St. James’s Children’s Center, and ACTSRva, and volunteers with the James River Association. You can often find Amelia spending her free time sailing or paddle boarding with her children and friends.
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The Reverend Blake Singer
Associate Rector

Blake grew up just outside of Chattanooga, TN. He then attended Furman University, where he studied Business Administration and Religion and went on to earn a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School with a certificate in Anglican Studies. He’s worked in a variety of ministry settings including churches, a church plant, universities, and non-profits. Blake joined the staff of St. James’s in the fall of 2020, first as a Lay Chaplain, and then as an Associate Rector following his ordination in 2022. Blake is married to Kilpy Singer, who is also a priest in the diocese, and they have a daughter Finley and a crazy dog named Milo. In his spare time, Blake enjoys spending time at the YMCA (which he’s confident is the gym Jesus would go to), going on runs with Milo, and playing soccer and pickleball. Contact Blake  |  ext. 321

The Rev. Dr. Doug Wigner
Clergy Assistant

Doug was born in Baltimore, MD, and grew up in the Northern Neck. He graduated from Va Tech, served four years in the Army in Germany, Vietnam, and Ft. Meade, MD, before entering Virginia Theological Seminary where he earned his MDiv in 1972 and his DMin in 2007. He has served churches in Virginia, Connecticut and is the Rector Emeritus of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Lynchburg, VA. He was a senior trainer with the Church Development Institute and serves on the Board of Trustees of VTS. He and his wife, Nancy, serve as Diocesan Parish Discernment Facilitators. Doug has two sons and two grandchildren who live in Richmond. He’s a life-long birder, loves to garden and fish.
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