God comes to us in free and undeserved favor in the person of Jesus Christ who lived, died, and rose for us that we might belong to God and serve Christ in the world. Following Jesus, Presbyterians are engaged in the world and in seeking thoughtful solutions to the challenges of our time.
Presbyterians affirm that God comes to us with grace and love in the person of Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose for us so that we might have eternal and abundant life in him. As Christ’s disciples, called to ministry in his name, we seek to continue his mission of teaching the truth, feeding the hungry, healing the broken, and welcoming strangers. God sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, giving us the energy, intelligence, imagination, and love to be Christ’s faithful disciples in the world.
More than two million people call the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) their spiritual home. Worshiping in 10,000 Presbyterian congregations throughout the United States, they engage the communities in which they live and serve with God’s love.
Who are we Presbyterians? As far back as 1837 the General Assembly declared that the church, by its very nature, is a missionary society whose purpose is to share the love of God in Jesus Christ in word and deed and with all the world. Learn more about the history of the PC(USA) in this short summary of who we are and what makes us different.
Rev. Dr. Emily J. Anderson has served as our Pastor/Head of Staff since June 1999. Emily (as she prefers to be called) grew up in Houston, Texas, and graduated from Vanderbilt University and Princeton Theological Seminary. She received her Doctor of Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary. Prior to her call to New Providence Emily served as Associate Pastor at the Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church in Tampa, Florida, and as Director of the Princeton Institute of Youth Ministry in 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.
Rev. Louden Young came to New Providence as the Associate Pastor of Emerging Generations and Mission in August of 2019. He is a graduate of Maryville College (Class of ‘12, BLA in Philosophy) and Columbia Theological Seminary (Class of ‘19, M.Div. and M.A.P.T. in Christian Education). New Providence is his first ordained call as a pastor; previously, he served in various capacities at Decatur Presbyterian Church (as a general intern and adult adviser for the youth program) and First Presbyterian Church Asheville (as an adult advisor for the youth program). 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 (’13). She will be graduating from Mercer University in December 2019 with a Master degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Louden enjoys cooking, games, talking sports, and any outdoor activity you can think of.
Rev. Dr. Stan Rushing has been a member of the staff since April 2008. He serves part-time, working closely with Gloria Mencer, visiting members who are hospitalized, in retirement communities, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, or rehabilitation facilities. He also visits senior members who still live at home. Stan is a native of Mississippi. He is a graduate of Mississippi College (B.A and M.S.) and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div. and Ph.D.). 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. The last twelve years before his retirement, he served in these capacities in Jackson, Mississippi.
Rob Britt has been serving as Director of Music at New Providence Presbyterian Church since August 1987. Prior to accepting the position at NPPC, he served two years at Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Hagerstown, Maryland, and three years at Bearden United Methodist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Rob’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Music Education from Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music in Winchester, Virginia, a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Tennessee, and a Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from Lincoln Memorial University. Rob’s major college conducting teachers include Dr. David Stutzenberger, Dr. James H. Laster and Mr. Robert Shaffer. Post graduate studies were completed at the Choral Institute at Cambridge University in Cambridge, England where he studied with John Rutter, Sir David Willcocks, Barry Rose, Joshua Rifken, and Steven Cleobury. As a professional educator, Rob has been serving the Blount County Schools since August 1986 and has held positions as a choral music teacher and assistant principal at William Blount High School, and founding principal at Carpenters Middle School. Presently, Rob serves as the 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.
Peggy Rogers has been at New Providence for 26 years! Currently Peggy serves as our organist and director of youth and adult handbells. 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.
Trish Badgett 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.
Ray Bryant 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.
Maddie McCullough 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 joined us full-time in February of 2023 as Communications Director.
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 Maddie at the email link at left.