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The Rev. Charles F. Ledlum-Bates, Ph.D., Executive Director, is a retired United Methodist elder and a former District Superintendent of the Mission Rivers District of the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church. He is married to Weade Vickie Bates and they have three adult children and five grandchildren. His hobbies are soccer, reading and sports. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D.) degree in psychology, a Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Professional Pastoral Counseling, a Master of Divinity (M.Div.), and a Bachelor of Arts degree (BA). He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor and a member of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). He is also a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), a member of the American Psychological Association (APA),
and a former associate staff at the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Counseling (VIPCare), Richmond, VA.
and a former associate staff at the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Counseling (VIPCare), Richmond, VA.
Born in the city of Careysburg, Liberia onto the union of Mr. and Mrs. Edward A. Bates, Sr. I am the sixth child of my parents and married with children.
Education:
Lott Carey Baptist mission High School-Liberia
Studied Law Enforcement – Central Piedmont university, USA. B.S. Criminology-USA.
Associate Degree in Computer Information System – ECPI University, USA.
Professional career:
Principal, Kingsville public High School- Liberia. Field Supervisor, Bureau of
Demographics – Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs, Republic Of Liberia, Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigation, Liberia National Police, General Manager, Bonnie Noel. Board Chairman, Highland Park UMC, USA. President, Liberian Association, Richmond, VA. USA. Board Member, LAVA. Richmond VA. Love working with charitable organizations.
LCSW currently serves as the secretary/treasurer of the Bates Foundation. As a social worker, she has spent her professional life working with and for disenfranchised people in our society. From serving as executive director of homeless programs to her current role serving people with serious mental illness and substance use issues, she embraces a life of service. Mrs. Ford’s volunteer service includes service on both domestic and international UMW missions’ teams to follow Jesus’ instruction in the Great Commission to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations”. She is the mother of two adult daughters and the
grandmother of five children.
grandmother of five children.
Ted has worked and served as a pastor in the Virginia Conference United Methodist Church for over thirty-nine years. Ted and his wife, the Rev. Dr. Teresa Smith have an adult daughter. Ted has transitioned from working as a pastor to creating Quock Help Coaching LLC to provide professional coaching, primarily to pastors. Ted has always been blessed with and enjoyed a strong connection with young people. This connection led to Ted becoming a public-school teacher in addition to providing professional coaching.
Board of Advisors
The Rev. Douglas M. Thorpe, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia. For 30 years he has been engaged in the ministry of pastoral counseling, specializing in healing relationships and helping people make cultural transitions. His interest in assisting the people of Liberia grows out of the nine years he spent as a youth and young adult in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where his parents were medical missionaries. When Doug is not at VIPCare he can usually be found doing one of three things: singing in the church choir, maintaining a 95-year-old house in the Ginter Park neighborhood of Richmond, or riding his bicycle through the Central Virginia countryside.
Dr. Donald D. Denton holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. His research project entitled “Combat Experience, Vocational Choice and Depth Relationships Among Vietnam Veterans Who Become Clergy” has led to his primary focus as a licensed professional counselor at the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care. Dr. Denton has provided more than 1500 hours of clinical service each year, including 150 hours of vocational and psychological assessment. He edits the Institute’s newsletter, reviews all publications, and advises professional staff in their research and professional writing. Dr. Denton is happily married and has three adult sons. He participates in outdoor activities and pursuits, enjoys classical and bluegrass music, writes poetry, and reads biographies for relaxation. He is happily married.
Janet is a native Virginian, receiving her early education in Hampton and Suffolk. From an early age, with the influence of family members living, working and raising their families in Africa, she has showed a love & compassion to people from other lands. After high school she volunteered in summer missions in VA, Guatemala and Mexico. It was in Mexico where she was called to the nursing profession and later graduated from Louise Obici Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. Her areas of emphasis were pre- and postpartum nursing, family medicine, and renal dialysis. In 1999, she was able to return to Guatemala with a medical mission team from her church, witnessing multiple miracles. When her
family was younger, they hosted children from Russia. With her husband David, they have raised four adult children and have three grandchildren. She enjoys quilting, sewing, music & documentaries. Retired from nursing she is currently tutoring children from Korea in English via the internet.
family was younger, they hosted children from Russia. With her husband David, they have raised four adult children and have three grandchildren. She enjoys quilting, sewing, music & documentaries. Retired from nursing she is currently tutoring children from Korea in English via the internet.
Mr. W. Emmett Walker was born in 1957, in the city of Careysburg, Liberia the oldest grandson of Edward and Evelyn Bates.
Education:
University of Minnesota
Bachelor of Arts: International Commerce
Professional Career:
Founder/General Manager: Liberia Concrete Products Corporation
Security Operations: The World Bank, Washington, DC
IT Project Coordinator: Nextel Communications, Reston Virginia
President: TAAKOR Liberia Incorporated
Founder/Chairman: Africa Corporate Enterprises
Mary Fran Hughes-McIntyre is retired after serving as a pastoral counselor at Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care for over 40 years. After experiencing as a teacher, the commitment of African pastors to their people, she is committed to hope and healing for people of the motherland.
Helen Nwabara is the International Policy Advocate in the Office of Public Policy & Advocacy in Washington, DC. Before working for the United Church of Christ, Helen led Creation Justice Ministries’ work advocating to better protect, restore, and rightly share God’s lands and waters. Helen organized faith leaders in this work, created policy resources, and worked with partners to achieve meaningful policy change for God’s planet and people. Helen has also worked for the National Religious Partnership for the Environment and was the preliminary editor for Journey to Transformation 2020 Lenten Study by Bishop Sharma D. Lewis. Helen has been an international volunteer building churches, schools, and clinics since she was four years old, primarily in the Motherland, Africa. She was active in the United Methodist Church throughout her teens and early 20s, serving as Chair of Trustees and a member of the Finance and Administrative Council, the Rappahannock River District Board of Connectional Ministries, and the Virginia Conference Communications Board. She is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a degree in International Politics. Helen brings the saying, “Think globally, act locally, ” to life. Helen has a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion lens in her work and centers a reciprocal relationship with God’s creation in her theology.
