Director and Campus Minister – Ryan LaRock
The Reverend Ryan LaRock is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and has pastored in the Virginia Conference since 2016. A native of Virginia Beach and a lifelong United Methodist, Ryan responded to God’s call on his life as a first-year at the University of Virginia, where he was a worship leader at the Wesley Foundation and lived in their residential community for two years. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in both religious studies and French. His call led him to Duke Divinity School, where he earned his Master’s of Divinity and experienced God’s abundant grace in learning in the classroom. He served as a youth pastor at a new church start and a pediatric oncology chaplain at Duke University Hospital. For four years, he served as the Associate Pastor at Christ UMC in Fairfax County, VA, providing pastoral care and counseling, preaching, leading Pub Theology, and helping co-launch a ministry for persons with disabilities. In the height of pandemic lockdowns, Ryan left Northern Virginia to shepherd a medium-sized congregation, Deep Creek UMC, through a difficult rebuilding season. Amid the pandemic, Ryan started and is almost finished with his Doctor of Ministry degree from Duke, and he is planning to submit his dissertation in March 2025.
Ryan is passionate about campus ministry because of his roots. He most recently chaired the Virginia Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry, where he focused on fostering a renewed narrative around the vitality of campus ministries as an extension of our wider church.
Contact Ryan!
email: ryanlarock@vaumc.org
school email: rslarock@wm.edu
(both emails go to the same inbox)
office phone: 757-201-8850
Administrative Assistant and House Manager – Sam Redman
Samantha Redman is originally from Manchester, England where she studies business and finance while also training as a certified fitness and ballroom dance instructor.
After relocating to Maryland in 1992, she became an active member of Linden-Linthicum United Methodist Church. Initially serving as their Office Manager, Sam also dedicated her time as a Sunday School teacher, ultimately leading her to assume the role of the church’s Director of Christian Education.
Following her passion for working with children and youth, she returned to the dance world in 2006 and co-founded Studio Dans. The studio rapidly established itself as one of the leading dance studios in Maryland. In 2017, Sam and her husband Mark, an experienced remodeler, decided to combine their talents and establish Lightpoint Designs, a residential design company. Following the sale of the studio in 2019, they fulfilled their dream of moving to Williamsburg. Sam and Mark have a blended family of six children between the ages of 12-29, along with two dogs, Comet and Chester!
Although Sam truly loves design, she misses the energy and inspiration from working with young people and is excited to return to ministry work and be a part of the Wesley Foundation.
Contact Sam!
email: sam@wmwesley.org