Who We Are

Rev. Alexandra “Alex” Thomas is an Elder in the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church who has served alongside the people of Concord-St. Andrew’s since July 1, 2024. She previously served as Olivet UMC’s pastor in charming Lusby, Maryland.

Pastor Alex was raised in Columbia, Maryland as a cradle United Methodist and began to discern a calling to ordained ministry at age 17. She went to college at Seattle University in Washington state, majoring in History and Comparative Religion. Pastor Alex then completed a year of service in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) in Los Angeles, California, living in an intentional community and working with people experiencing homelessness. While in seminary at Duke Divinity School, a field education experience in Pretoria, South Africa shepherded her into the pulpit, and she has adored the art of preaching ever since.

Outside the ministries of the local church, Pastor Alex enjoys sharing God’s Word with young people every summer amid the beauty of creation at Manidokan Camp and Retreat Center. Pastor Alex is a passionate cinephile and spends time hiking, reading, fussing over aesthetics, looking up the history of hymns, and trying to understand her cat, Momo.

Dotson Hsing graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with dual degrees in Computer Science and Piano Performance. He began studying piano at the age of four and has trained under esteemed instructors, including Tzi-Ming Yang, Kwan Yi, Mikhail Volchok, and Mayron Tsong. A passionate performer, Dotson frequently appears in the DMV metropolitan area and has earned top prizes in competitions such as the Bethesda Steinway Chopin Competition, the Baltimore International Piano Festival Competition, the Levine School of Music Concerto Competition, and the Maryland State Music Teachers Association Competitions.

In addition to performing, Dotson has been teaching piano for over eight years, sharing his expertise and passion with students. Beyond his musical endeavors, Dotson works as a software engineer at NASA, supporting research scientists, application scientists, users, and students.

Outside of work, you can often find him attending live concerts or staying active with volleyball and pickleball.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina – Greensboro, Bonita Merritt’s career was as a Registered Client Associate in the financial services industry. Upon her recent retirement from the world of finance, she was looking forward to the next chapter in her life and curious as to what that would be.

Having attended Concord-St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church with her family since her early childhood, and hearing that the CSA Administrator position was becoming available, the rest is history! What an excellent opportunity to give back to our church by assisting in the day-to-day administrative needs that arise.

Larry Williams has been a member of Concord-St. Andrew’s since the mid-seventies and has served in a variety of roles: Chair of the Finance Committee, member of the Staff Parish Relations Committee, Chair of the Church Council, Chair of the Worship Committee and Lay Leader since 2003.

In his capacity as Lay Leader, he is the liaison between the laity at Concord-St. Andrew’s and the Pastor as well as someone who will stand in for the Pastor and lead worship on occasion. Additionally, as lay leader, Larry is active in the identification of potential leaders within the congregation and in the development and training of those future leaders.