Staff

Dr. William E. Blake, Jr. (Bill)
Senior Minister of the Battery Park Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

As a member said last Sunday, “absolutely unique, in that his sermons answer questions that most church members would like to ask, but think that they shouldn’t ask them out loud.”  Not only does Dr. Blake answer questions, he raises them, invites his hearers to think along with him, and does it all with passion, clarity, and brevity.

Dr. Blake is especially qualified for his position, both as a preacher and as an educator.  He has been a Disciples of Christ minister for many years and is Professor Emeritus of History at Virginia Commonwealth University.  We, the members of Battery Park Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) at 4201 Brook Road are really excited about the leadership that we have, with Dr. Blake and our ordained member, Reverend Moses Joshua.

The excitement here is electric, and we would very much like for our neighbors to experience it.There are educational, worship, and social activities for all ages.A place to begin is our Worship Service at 11:00 A. M. on Sundays, at which time, the choir sings, Dr. Blake preaches, and Communion is served.

Janet Watts
Organist

Janet has loved music since she was a child studying piano and organ with her great aunt, Marguerite Miller, a career church organist, choir director, and music teacher. Her studies continued with John Gearhart at The College of William and Mary, and after graduation with Caroline Payne and Michael Simpson. Janet began playing in church under her aunt’s guidance while she was still a child. After college she served as part-time staff organist (Montrose Baptist Church and Sherbourne UMC), and has been a substitute organist for Richmond area churches over the years.

She believes the that the organ music provides a unique and potentially powerfully expressive medium that, ideally, inspires awe, meditation, and prayer; touches our spirits; complements worship; creates a worshipful atmosphere; and provides worshippers with the opportunity for engagement through listening or singing, whether in solemn reverence or with spirited praise. At its best, music is accessible to everyone.

Janet is a wife, mother of adult children, an on call occupational therapist, and Emeritus Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy at VCU. Through life’s changes, organ music has been a constant for her.

Rob Peterman
Music Director

From an early age, I knew music was going to be an important part of my life. During preschool nap time, instead of properly falling asleep, I lay wide awake mesmerized by the music playing on the phonograph. From there, my musical upbringing consisted of school musical plays, boys choir, not practicing for piano lessons, English Madrigal singing, jazzy show tunes (where my flailing dancing skills gestated), acoustic musical acts, heavy metal and rock bands, classical choirs of all sizes and dispositions, and hour after hour of dissecting and digesting the music I heard on the radio or in real life. It was a semi-formal, semi-self-taught haphazard path which led me to this greater purpose and calling: the choir director at Battery Park Christian Church.

After more than four years of directing, the Battery Park choir continues to surprise me with its intriguing contradictions. We are a tight-knit group who are unfailingly welcoming and helpful to new singers. Our personnel runs the gamut from former professional singers and even directors to those who have never sung in a choir before, yet all make music beautifully. We are equally capable of making simple music profound and complex music easily discerned. We are traditional, yet contemporary. We're eclectic and we embrace many forms of making music. Our goal for making music, both in our shared bond between the choir members and with all members of Battery Park, is to use music to bridge the gap between the worldly and the unknown.

June Taylor,

Office Administrator

What would we do without June?  For over 8 years, she has called on every skill imaginable to keep our church running.  Our worship bulletins and other printed materials are always professionally compiled, accurate and timely.  She greets callers and guests warmly, and keeps us all organized.