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Pastor Rhodes Woolly likes an adventure. “I find ministry at Bethel to be a terrific adventure,” he says. “This place encourages creative, faith-centered thinking and works hard at helping folks explore their God-given gifts for ministry in daily life.” “That was quite a honeymoon!” Krista jokes. “But it was exactly the path God had been preparing us for.” Rhodes graduated from the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 1996, and was called to serve as Bethel’s pastor in June of that year. “I finally learned to open my ears and heart to God’s call,” he says. “In remarkable ways, everything else has fallen into place.”
Pastor Scott Maxwell’s path to ministry has been filled with twists and turns. “I came to a point in life where nothing else mattered other than dedicating my life to Jesus Christ and telling the greatest story in the world to others.” Scott grew up in Kane, Pennsylvania, and attended Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. He joined Hyatt Hotels, where he eventually became director of accounting and finance. After Scott was graduated from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary and ordained in 1999, he served at Mt. Zion Lutheran Church in Woodstock, VA. There, he met Candy Littell. They married in 2001. Shortly after, Pastor Scott took a leave of absence from ministry to assist Candy in developing her consulting firm. In 2003, Pastor Scott felt a strong call to return to parish ministry, and God opened another door – at Bethel Lutheran Church – where Pastor Scott is now Pastor for Leadership and Administration. "Carpe Diem was the motto of my college - which is Latin for 'seize the day' -- and I have never forgotten it," Pastor Scott says, "Every day brings new opportunities to share the love of God with a hurting world."
Anna Havron is a compulsive writer, reader and doodler. "I was once told that the ideal job is the one where you get to indulge your vices; that is, where you do the things you do, when you're supposed to be doing something else," she says. "I'm delighted to be able to work with words and images here."
Vernon Joyner had retired from his career as a teacher and coordinator of music at Winchester City Schools, as well as his job as a church organist, when one Sunday he came to sub at Bethel. “We liked what was going on at Bethel, and I kept subbing for many years,” he laughed. Vernon and Pastor Rhodes, who is also an accomplished musician, work together. “I do some of the directing and he does most of the choosing of the music. It's not a traditional set-up, but for us, it works.” Vernon's gifts in the arts extend beyond music. He and his wife originally moved back to the area when Vernon started working at a Winchester florist's shop. He still enjoys flower arranging, as well as gardening and collecting antiques. “And Bethel,” he said, “is such a nice place to be. It's got such friendly people, and it's such an active church.”
Donna Shields is a true professional secretary: she learned her craft at Fisher Junior College in Boston, which at that time was second only to the famed Katharine Gibbs school. “I came to work here temporarily for six months, and I'm now on my sixth year!” Donna said. At Bethel, she enjoys the “personal satisfaction of knowing that I'm here to help.” Donna manages the calendar, the bulletins, the newsletter, the membership rolls and the phones, in addition to helping unexpected visitors who have gotten stranded on Route 522. “People run out of gas, they run out of money, and they figure that they can come to a church. It's a safe haven.”
Patty White came to this area from Grafton, West Virginia, about eight years ago. “My son was here, and I thought this was a good place to start my own cleaning business.” Now both of her sons are living in the area, and she has a granddaughter as well. The choice also worked out for Patty's career: her business is thriving. "I like it," she says of working for herself. "I've got a lot of flexibility, but you've got to stay responsible to people, and you can't miss. There are some people I've had four or five years, and I haven't missed." Unsurprisingly, with that work ethic, Patty has plenty of loyal clients, one of whom suggested she apply to Bethel. “She asked if I would be interested in it, and I said, oh my Lord, yes. I've met some really cool people there. When I'm out there, I have a very good feeling.”
It takes a lot of great people to make a great church.
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