We’re always thrilled to see familiar faces of our staff at Central, but there are a few staff members we seldom see who quietly lend a hand with all the activities, events, and programs. One of them is Randy Dowdy!
I first saw Randy at Central’s Annual Meeting on Sunday, July 30. He was presenting the budget for the year ahead. He had budget numbers on one screen and a pie chart on the other. He answered all the questions from the congregation. As an engineer and someone who’s done budget presentations as chair of a condo board, I was immediately impressed.
Randy is Central’s Church Administrator, which is a super important role that holds everything together for the ministries and congregation.
He was born and raised in southeastern Virginia. He went to Virginia Tech where he got a degree in Finance. Randy and his wife Nancy have three wonderful kids: Nate, Andrew, and Lindsey. The Dowdy family came to Central in 2017. Randy and Nancy attended men’s and women’s groups and several adult education events. They joined an amazing small group which meets regularly.
Randy spent many years working in Operations Management for Ferguson Enterprises before retiring in February 2023. When Central was looking for someone to fill the Church Administrator position after Jim McClure retired, Randy saw the ad and seemed a perfect fit with his work history, so he applied and was hired!
The Administrator’s work covers three main areas: Finance, Facilities, and Human Resources.
The Finance team handles donations and big gifts, accounting, bookkeeping, and budgeting. For budgeting, Randy works closely with our Treasurer, Liz Iglesias, the Session, and the Department heads. Rebecca, our offsite bookkeeper, works closely with Randy in paying the bills and accounting.
In the Facilities section, he oversees the work of Jesse Baum, our awesome Lead Custodian, and that of Cindy Yost, our proficient Operations Coordinator, who both make sure our facility and programs are running smoothly! Also, Randy coordinates tasks with a team of volunteer Central guys who come by on Tuesdays to handle all sorts of maintenance projects, like painting, carpentry, and just fixing things around the building. He and the facilities team work together to plan and coordinate building projects.
In Human Resources, Randy oversees payroll, insurance, and retirement benefits. Liz Piedramartel, the Interim Ministry Coordinator, helps with ads and interviews. Randy and the team have also brought on several other church members, on a part-time basis, to lend a hand with computer and technical support for creating publications and graphics for church services and publications.
So, the next time you see Randy, please thank him for the important work he does for our wonderful church.
