Staff

**Valerie Ferrara**
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

**Lacey Komis**
REMOTE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

**Rachel Rogers**
DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

Randa Berry, Music Ministry Director

Randa was born and raised in the small town of Max Meadows, Virginia. She was raised in a Christian home and made a profession of faith as a young girl. Randa was surrounded by music as a child and sang regularly in church from a young age. She began taking piano lessons at the age of eight and had an accomplished and loving piano teacher who challenged her and encouraged her with her studies in classical and sacred music.

Randa attended Crown College in Powell, TN. After graduating, the Lord gave her many opportunities to grow and use her musical gifts. She has been teaching private lessons for 13 years and has been a part of the music ministries, and the pianist for 3 different churches in the past 10 years.

Besides working in the music ministry at NCPC and teaching her eleven piano students, Randa loves spending quality time with her husband Anthony and their four beautiful children.

Valerie Ferrara, Administrative Assistant

Valerie was born and raised in central Ohio but lived many years in Massachusetts before moving to South Carolina in June of 2022. She was raised in church and has been on a growth journey ever since. She has a Master of Science in Management from Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts, and comes to NCPC from Boston Trinity Academy, where she was the Associate Business Director for several years. Valerie is married to David, who cooks her delicious food. She has four adult children and six grandchildren, and enjoys singing, hiking, and sewing. She is excited to be a part of the NCPC staff!

Larry Gilpin, Associate Pastor

Larry Gilpin began serving as interim pastor at New Covenant in May, 2018. He transitioned to interim assistant pastor when the new senior pastor, Brad Rogers, arrived in February 2020, and was later called by the congregation as its associate pastor. Larry is a native of Nashville, Tennessee and graduated from Augusta College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis in 1986 and received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Covenant in 2006. His doctoral dissertation focused on the process of pastoral transitions in Presbyterian Church in America congregations following the tenure of a long-term pastor. He served for 14 years as Senior Pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Martinez, Georgia. Prior to coming to Westminster in 2000, he was pastor of PCA congregations in Tennessee and Alabama. He also has served as the interim pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Brunswick, Georgia. Larry enjoys most all sports and especially likes watching college football and basketball. He and his wife, Corley, were married in 1987 and have two adult daughters.

Lacey Komis, Remote Administrative Assistant

Lacey earned her MBA from Liberty University in 2015 and started working from home that same year. Lacey and her husband have 4 young children. They reside in sunny Florida and are planting a church in the Bradenton/Sarasota area. She is active in church ministry as well as trying to keep up with their children. She loves spending time with her family, a good cup of tea, and going to the beach. Lacey is thankful for the opportunity to work with New Covenant virtually.

Brad Rogers, Senior Pastor

Brad was born in Houston, Texas, and lived in Kansas City, Missouri, and Dallas, Texas before moving to Ashland, KY where he finished middle School and graduated from Russell High School. He holds two degrees from the University of Kentucky (and would be happy to tell you what it's like when your college wins the basketball national title while you are in school) and a Master of Divinity degree from Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Brad served as the RUF campus minister at the University of Kentucky from 2004-2011 and he served as Assistant Pastor and later as the Associate Pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, North Carolina from 2011 until he was called by New Covenant in February 2020. Brad enjoys good food while out with his wife, Rachel, anything sports related, and playing games ceaselessly with his son and two daughters.

Rachel Rogers, Director of Children's Ministry

Rachel received her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of KY (GO CATS!) and enjoyed a short career as an Early Intervention Teacher. She has loved her longer career as Stay-At-Home-Mom and Taxi Driver to three incredible kids. She served as Children's Ministry Coordinator for five years at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, NC before her family relocated to Aiken in 2020. Rachel is happily married to Brad, who is the Senior Pastor at NCPC, and finds joy in their busy family life, watching sports, taking walks, and exploring Aiken.

She is excited to join the staff at NCPC working with children's ministry, as it joins several of her deepest passions: sharing the gospel story, spending time with children, and coming alongside parents as we all learn how to bring up our children in the faith. Rachel loves good books (with or without pictures), good coffee, and good friends.

Rich Weldon, Staff Counselor

Rich is a Christian counselor with more than 35 years of service as the Staff Counselor at NCPC. His credentials include a bachelor's degree in psychology from The Citadel, a Master of Divinity degree from Covenant Theological Seminary, and a Master of Social Work with an emphasis in individual and group counseling from Washington University in St. Louis.

As a Christian counselor he is a follower of Jesus Christ and believes that our lives should be ruled by what God has stated in the Bible. He assists individuals and couples in their efforts to be more Christ-like and has primarily been used in marriages, depression and family difficulties.

His services are free to church members and regular visitors and he has a sliding scale based on income and number of dependents for those referred to him from others. He accepts appointments in the evenings and on Saturdays.

Rich came to the Lord during college while battling with depression. He has been married to his bride, Lynne, for over 44 years and has two grown sons and six grandchildren. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and has held numerous leadership positions both in the church and in his work as a counselor at a local community college. Rich enjoys the time he spends riding in his convertible, working in the yard and on his house, and walking in Hitchock Woods with his energetic Golden Retriever, Jasper.