Leadership and Staff

Neal Patel - Senior Pastor

Neal and his wife Kristin came to Valley Bible Church in 2014 along with their four children. Neal has a passion to preach God's Word, and to see people transformed by God's truth. Before moving to the Upper Valley, Neal served 15 years at Galena Bible Church (Illinois). He earned an M.A. in Biblical Exegesis from Wheaton College and also trained at the Cornhill Training Course in London. In his spare time, Neal can be found smoking meat, walking in the woods with his goldendoodle, or embarking on gastronomic adventures with his family.

Erik Schaefer - Associate Pastor

Erik and his wife Anna arrived at Valley Bible Church in 2019 along with their three boys. Erik desires to build up the body of Christ by teaching and preaching the whole counsel of God and equipping the saints for the work of ministry. Erik previously served for six years as a pastor and church planter at Christ Community Church in Newton, Massachusetts. He completed a vocational elder apprenticeship program at The Bethlehem Institute in Minneapolis, and later graduated from Southern Seminary with a Master of Divinity in Biblical and Theological Studies. For leisure Erik enjoys family time, hiking, and learning the basics of Vermont homesteading.

Brian Dellinger - Elder

Brian and his wife, Eva, have attended VBC since 2001. They have four children and live in Windsor, Vermont. Brian works at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and recently started to learn to play squash and ultimate frisbee (both poorly) in an effort to get fit. He loves to study the Scriptures surrounded by a pile of books authored by his favorite, long-dead people like Spurgeon, Whitefield, Bunyan, and some guy from Geneva.

Timm DuMoulin - Elder

Timm and his wife JoAnn have been attending VBC for 43 years. He has two children, Jonica and Justin. He has 5 grandchildren, 3 of whom also attend VBC. Timm has served as both an Elder and Deacon in the past. He has been involved in numerous teaching and ministry capacities for both youth and adults. He enjoys playing guitar and singing in the worship band. He also loves to study and teach the Bible in small groups. Timm is a Physical Therapist who is now partly retired. He is the founder and former owner of Green Mountain Physical Therapy. Timm and his wife JoAnn have been married for 46 years and enjoy being with family and friends. They especially like being active in a variety of sporting ventures.

Charles Marrin - Elder

Charles grew up in England and still has the remains of his English accent. He and his wife, Marian, have been coming to Valley Bible Church since 1982.  They have one daughter, Minet, who is married to a Pastor, and they live in Bangor, Maine. Charles was a heart and lung surgeon at Dartmouth for many years, and is now retired. Marian is also a doctor. They enjoy daily walks in the woods with their dogs. He is an avid reader, especially of history and biography. He considers it a great privilege to serve the Lord and the congregation as an Elder at Valley Bible Church.

Todd Renninger - Elder on Sabbatical

Todd Renninger is an artist and a teacher. He lives in White River Junction, VT with his wife Jill and their three sons. For 15 years, he has been teaching adult Bible studies, serving on the youth ministry team, planning and participating in youth group, retreats, and teaching middle school Sunday School. Todd is an active member of the community where he volunteers with the Lebanon Outing Club, leads Wyldlife, serves as a Cub Scout leader and has been a foster parent to several young children. In addition to serving, Todd enjoys hiking, snowboarding, and cooking.

Wesley Leuthauser - Elder

Wesley and Jonica have been married since 1998 and have 3 children, Jorgen, Keenan, and Kenzie. As a family, they have been a part of the Valley Bible Church community since 1998 (Jonica since birth) and have served in many different areas over the years. Wes works as an Operations Manager at a small high-tech company in the area and serves in the hospitality ministry at VBC. He enjoys playing and coaching all types of sports and spends many Fall Saturday mornings in a duck blind.

Peter Flowers - Elder

Peter and his wife Joy joined Valley Bible Church in 2015. Peter is a retired computer database programmer. He and Joy met in graduate school over 50 years ago and have 3 children and 2 grandchildren. Peter’s interests include theology and the game of chess.

Zach Bryan - Elder

Zach Bryan, his wife Martha, and their five children have been in the Upper Valley and at Valley Bible Church since 2000. When Zach is not working as a paramedic in Lebanon, he enjoys caring for various farm animals at their home in Hartford. 

Tom Shields - Elder

Tom and his wife Lynn have attended Valley Bible Church since 2003. They share a great love and a great affection for the Upper Valley Christian community at large; especially blessed to serve Jesus within VBC. They are the proud parents of two young men, Nathanael and Benjamin.  Both Tom and Lynn have served in the youth ministry, and in several local adoptive family groups.  Tom is a Nurse in Interventional Cardiology, Lynn is a Nurse in the ICU.  We invite you to join us in serving others for His glory.

David Faro - Deacon

David Faro and his wife, Kelly, have attended VBC since early 2018. They live in Claremont, NH, and have four children (one still in the nest). David has worked as a software developer in the manufacturing, consulting, and banking industries. He tries to ride his 1986 motorcycle at least once a month (even in winter) and doesn't mind fixing it himself when necessary.

Don Wemple - Deacon

Don Wemple and his wife, Noreen, have attended VBC since 1988 with a brief interlude to help out a small, local church in Bridgewater, Vt. They have two grown children, Rebecca and Luke, and live in Bridgewater, Vermont. Don spent most of his career as a digital electrical design engineer in the telecommunications industry and the emerging renewable energy industry.  He is "almost" retired and loves to spend his time studying the bible and biblical history and is an avid golfer.

Jim Archambault - Deacon

Jim Archambault and his wife, Peggy, started attending VBC in 1977. Their four children grew up at Valley Bible and they are proud grandparents of fifteen. They recently moved from Hanover to a retirement community in Lebanon. Jim worked as a pharmacist at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for almost 20 years. In 1997 he left the Medical Center to begin another career as a management consultant assisting project teams implement clinical information systems. He retired in 2017.

Don Sharkey - Deacon

Don and his wife Lauren began attending VBC in 2016.  He has enjoyed running the VBC Hospitality ministry and serving in our Youth ministry program.  Don has a professional background in food and hospitality, which is expressed through the many ways he serves at Valley Bible.  He enjoys the sauna, various podcasts, and travel.

Lauren Sharkey - Deacon, Youth Ministry Director, Executive Secretary

Lauren lives with her husband, Don, and two children in the Upper Valley. She has enjoyed being part of various ministries at VBC since she started attending in 2016. Lauren has a professional background in administrative work and developed a love for working with VBC students through our children’s Sunday School and Pathfinders ministry.  She enjoys watching birds, gathering friends around the campfire, heading to the lake, and connecting with other women at Bible study. Lauren's always on board for a good conference, workshop, or mission trip and is currently continuing her education in biblical counseling.

Susan Sylvia - Office Manager

Susan and her husband Jonathan have lived in the Upper Valley since 2001, having settled in Plainfield Village NH to raise their three kids, Faith, Grace, and Paul. Susan and Jonathan are lifelong believers and are happy to have found their church home at Valley Bible. Susan enjoys working with the Valley Bible Church office team and, in fact, has never been happier in her working life. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, gardening, crafting, and hanging out with the family Schnauzers. Her favorite times are when the kids, now grown, find their way back home for a visit.

Cathy Smith - Office Assistant

Cathy has been attending VBC for over 40 years and is no longer the person she was when she first came to the church thanks to the Lord working through the consistently solid teaching, prayer, and fellowship with this body of believers. Over that time she has volunteered in many different capacities most recently in the Compassion Ministry. She has participated in Women's Bible Study for most of those years and has developed many lasting friendships. She enjoys listening to people, especially other's telling their stories.