12132 Percival St. Chester, VA 23831
804.748.6006
cumcsecretary@chesterumc.org

STAFF

At Chester United Methodist Church, our staff consists of intellectual pastors and clerics that are committed to providing exceptional service to our growing community. They are the faces behind the daily upkeep of the Church, and the reason behind our ability to smoothly run our events and services. Contact us today and speak with one of our staff members!

REV. NATHAN A. DECKER, Lead Pastor

Pastor Nathan Decker was born and raised in the Ozark Mountains among curves, hills, hollars, and railroad tracks.  His adventurous spirit brought him to love the history, geography, and people of Virginia.  While working at Target, Pastor Nathan met his wife, Stephanie, and she has forever had his heart.  The cute couple even had their employee name tags on display at the wedding.  Love grows.  The Decker’s now have two teenage boys, (Elijah and Ethan) who keep them on their toes.  If that were not enough, they also have two dogs with colorful names:  San Diego El Diablo (an old loveable pug) and Cookie Wookie Monster (a terrorist, and no, that is not a typo).  Pastor Nathan did his undergraduate studies at Averett University.  He completed his M.Div. at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and did further graduate work at Virginia Union on a Th.M. as well as studies on Historiography at Norwich University.  He has served United Methodist Churches in the Virginia Conference since 2004.

CHAD BECK, Associate Pastor

Chad Thomas Beck holds an M.Div. from Union Presbyterian Seminary where he received the Patrick D. Miller Award for Excellence in the Study of Scripture. He earned a Graduate Certificate in Pastoral Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Ph.D. in Communication and Culture from Indiana University. Pastor Chad has a passion for preaching, teaching, pastoral care, and valuing the ministries of the laity. He lived in Mexico for three years, is fluent in Spanish, and participates in Latinx and immigration ministries, as well as ministries with the poor and the multicultural peoples of God. He is married to Talina, who is a deacon candidate in the United Methodist Church. They have four children: Aaron, Joel, Aiden, and Israel. Pastor Chad enjoys playing acoustic guitar, spending time outdoors, and coaching youth soccer.

JOSHUA N. WORTHAM, Director of Music

Joshua N. Wortham, our Music Director/Organist, has a degree in Church Music from Campbellsville University in Kentucky. He founded the Chester Community Chorus in 2007 (which ran until 2017). He is the former director of the Richmond Men’s Chorus and spends his free time directing musical theater in the Richmond area. Joshua has performed concerts throughout the southeastern United States, as well as Italy and Brazil. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Richmond Triangle Players. Joshua and his husband, Geoffrey Waugh, live in Carytown.

JENNIFER BARNES, Preschool Director

Jennifer Barnes, our Preschool Director, has her Master’s in Elementary Education and has taught Kindergarten in Chesterfield County. She and her husband, Michael, married in 1996, and have two sons, Braydon and Brenden. Jen enjoys being with her family and being active. She loves mountain biking and sitting on the beach. Her family is rounded out with four dogs, three Chihuahuas, and a German Shepard.

TERRY WISEGARVER, Office Manager

Terry is a Virginia Tech graduate and has been an active member of CUMC since 1992. She and her husband, Bill, have three adult children and one grandson. In addition to singing in the Chancel Choir, the Dawn of Grace ladies ensemble, and The Bridge worship service. Terry also volunteers as our sound technician.

JULIE E. JONES, Financial Specialist

Julie is a lifelong member of Wesley United Methodist Church in Hopewell and has served as their Treasurer since 1997.  She also owns and operates Holly Lane Interiors where she works with designers to create custom window treatments and other home decor items for their customers. Julie enjoys sewing, spending time with her family and her two boxers, Berkley and Dini.