Our Team
Senior Pastor - Veranita Alvord
Hannah De La Riva - Operations Manager
Hannah grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina and attended the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP). She and her husband James met at UNCP and moved to Brevard in 2013. James and Hannah have three beautiful girls: Maylyn Gail, Stella Marie and Myla James.
Although Hannah was a business and marketing teacher, most of her “career” has been spent as a “domestic engineer” and teacher to her girls.
She and James are members of Calvary Baptist Church in Brevard, where her husband serves as a Deacon, and she serves by singing in the praise and worship team, as well as managing the AV equipment, broadcasting the worship service and using social media to reach people in the community.
Hannah enjoys sports, quilting, spending time with her chickens, and coaching her girls’ athletic teams.
Timothy Shepard - Organist/Director of Music
Timothy Shepard has been the Director of Music and Organist at Brevard First United Methodist Church since 2008. He received a BM at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, where he studied sacred music practices, organ and choral conducting. He received a Masters of Sacred Music in Choral Conducting from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. He has been the Director of Music at churches in South Carolina and Georgia. Mr. Shepard has performed as an organist in recitals throughout WNC including, with the Brevard Philharmonic, at Brevard College. He is presently the Dean of the Blue Ridge Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
The Rev. Dr. Sharad Creasman - Adjunct Associate Pastor
Sharad H. Creasman is the College Minister of Brevard College and a Chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve. Before this, he served as the Senior Pastor of Columbia Drive United Methodist Church in Decatur, Georgia. Sharad is a native of Brevard, North Carolina, and holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Clemson University, a Master of Theology from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, a Master of Divinity from the Morehouse School of Religion at the Interdenominational Theological Center, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Brevard College. He is a member of the Martin Luther King Jr. College of Pastoral Leadership at Morehouse College, the Candler School of Theology Early Career Pastors Program, the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2015, and the International Society of Theta Phi (an honors society in theological education).
Sharad has had the honor of being the Guest Chaplain for the United States Senate, a Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding Pre-Doctoral Fellow at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, and a contributing author to the African American Lectionary, the African American Pulpit Journal, and the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice. His most incredible honor is being married to his “soul sista,” Daphne, and being the proud dad of two children, Faith and Amir.
Rev. Kimberlee Dodson - Minister of Christian Education
Kimberlee Dodson is an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church with her certification in Christian Education. She is a graduate of Furman University and Scarritt Graduate School. After serving churches in Naples, Florida and Durham, NC, she and her husband, Marcus moved to Brevard in 1993 when Marcus became the hospice/hospital chaplain at Transylvania Community Hospital. Kim served as our church’s full time Christian Educator from 1993-1998. When her second child was born, she became a full-time mother continuing her work in the church as a layperson leading an adult Sunday School class, teaching Disciple, helping with VBS and directing the Early Christian Meal. In 2006, she was approached about returning part time to the role of Christian Education/Children’s ministry. She has served in this capacity part-time since then. Kim’s husband, along with his hospital work, also serves as pastor of Lake Toxaway UMC. Their three children, Maggie, Jeremy, and Emilee were all born here in Brevard, were raised in the halls of FUMC and are now spreading their wings in the world.
Rev. Sarah Grace Montgomery - Pastor of Youth and Faith Formation
Sarah Grace Montgomery was raised in Decatur, Illinois, attending First Presbyterian Church for as long as she can remember. Having had a meaningful faith formation experience growing up in the church, Sarah Grace felt called to pursue a degree in Christian Education and ventured off to Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina.
After graduating from Presbyterian College in 2005, Sarah Grace served as Director of Christian Education at churches in Charlotte for 12 years. During that time, Sarah Grace felt a tug toward Pastoral Ministry and pursued a degree at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte. In February of 2018, Sarah Grace was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament and began serving as Associate Pastor at Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church. Sarah Grace left her full time position at B-DRPC at the end of 2021, and has been serving part-time at Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church in Swannanoa since then. After a year of making the hour-long commute 3 times a week, Sarah Grace is excited to return “home” to Brevard and to walk alongside the youth and families of FUMC. Sarah Grace has a passion for Faith Formation and ministries with Children and Youth, as well as finding ways to serve those in need in the community at large.
Sarah Grace has been married to Michael Montgomery since July of 2005 and they enjoy raising their children, Margaret (Maggie) and Owen in Brevard. Sarah Grace enjoys cooking, volunteering at her kids school, and living room dance parties with her family.
Sherry Carter - Finance Manager
A native of North Carolina, Sherry grew up in Brevard and has spent most of her life here. After marriage, she moved to the Atlanta area with her husband, Steve, (of 29 years) where they worked for four years. They then moved to Greenville, SC where they lived and worked for 17 years. Following Steve’s retirement, they decided to make Flat Rock their home.
Most of Sherry’s 25-year career has been in bookkeeping, with 15 years serving in several different churches. She and Steve are active in worship and Bible study at their church. They have 4 children between them, 6 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. They have enjoyed traveling in their motorhome, spending time with family and friends, attending the grandkids’ sporting events, and anything else they are active in. They have a 17-lb. Ragdoll cat who is spoiled rotten. Sherry enjoys making gifts for special occasions.
Kelly Merrill - Weekday Children’s Program Director
Hello! My name is Kelly Merrill. I graduated from Mars Hill University in 2016 with a
Masters in Education.
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband, Dustin, and our four-year-old
son, Barrett. We love to travel, garden, and spend time with our dogs, Milo and Birdie.
Barrett has been apart of WCP since 2019. We have thoroughly enjoyed the program and its wonderful teachers. I am excited to be the Director of this program and look forward to the year ahead!