MEET OUR PASTOR Joe Tarpley joined the Skyland Church Family on July 1, 2022. Joe is a native of Rome, Georgia. He attended (and loved his years at) Young Harris College, Kennesaw State University and Emory University (Atlanta). Joe is also a product of Clinical Pastoral Education having served in several hospital chaplaincy roles in… Read More »

Read More

Anna Ahern is the Youth Director here at Skyland. Anna graduated in May of 2025 with a Master’s degree in Youth Ministry from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary through the Ministry Leadership Center Program. Anna is also responsible for our weekly newsletters and other social media platforms. Anna grew up in Lewisburg, WV, and was a… Read More »

Read More

Jennifer recently transitioned into the role of Church Administrator. She had previously served as the Administrative Assistant and the Children’s Ministry Assistant at Skyland.  She began her duties as Administrative Assistant in 2023 and her Children’s Ministry Assistant duties in 2015. Jennifer greets our visitors and keeps our office and operations running smoothly, and does… Read More »

Read More

Bryon is the band director at Valley Springs Middle School.  Bryon has always loved making music with friends, loved the band and chorus trips and performances, and eventually became a leader in that community. I believe that everyone, at some point in their life, should learn to play a musical instrument or learn to sing.… Read More »

Read More

Sarah is Skyland’s Contemporary Worship Leader.  Sarah also works as a physician assistant at Asheville Neurology Specialists. She is passionate about connecting with God through music and creating an atmosphere of corporate worship.

Read More

Emma Stephens is the Nursery Coordinator at Skyland and oversees the care of our littlest worshipers in the nursery.  A dedicated educator who believes all children deserve a positive and safe environment in order to develop cognitive and social growth.  Emma holds a Master of Education from Furman University (2005) and a Bachelor of Science (Early… Read More »

Read More

Rachel Stay was hired as the new director of Around the Son Preschool in August of 2026. She had previously worked as an assistant and lead teacher in the preschool. She also has plenty of experience with child care in her past.

Read More

Beau comes to us with twenty-five years of experience as an educator with a primary focus of providing individualized literacy instruction to students and professional development training to colleagues on high impact, instructional strategies.   Beau, our former literacy enrichment specialist, will continue assessing our student’s individual needs as well as training volunteers to better… Read More »

Read More

Becky Sisler has been a teacher in Buncombe County Schools since 2007. She graduated from App State and got her master’s degree from WCU. She has worked at WD Williams Elementary in Swannanoa since 2022. She loves working with diverse students from different backgrounds and working with students who are learning English. She is excited… Read More »

Read More

Jason Gilmer began work as our Communication Coordinator in August 2026. He has worked for decades in the field of communications, mostly as a writer. He worked full-time as a reporter with the Spartanburg Herald-Journal before transitioning to a stay-at-home dad and freelance writer. He won multiple state and national awards for his writing. Along… Read More »

Read More