A brief BIO for each of our church staff members is featured below. If you are new to our church, feel free to e-mail any of our staff members to introduce yourself, or just to ask a question. Also, click 'Bethel Leadership' above for photos and names of our church officers and Church Council representatives.
The Rev. Dr. David N. Young
Pastor
For the Rev. Dr. David N. Young, going into ministry was not a conscious decision as much as it was a “continually evolving sense that this was where God was leading me to be.”
A native of Boone, North Carolina, Pastor Dave graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne College with a B.A. in Psychology. His chaplain in college encouraged him to consider becoming a pastor, and as he continued through seminary and internship he felt increasingly drawn to be in ministry with people and to share the Gospel. He received his Master of Divinity in Theology from the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 1997. Pastor Dave continued his education at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago receiving a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching in 2008. He served his previous congregation, Gloria Dei in Cincinnati, Ohio, from August 1997 to June 2010. He is married to the Rev. Heidi David-Young, Bethel’s other pastor, and they have two sons, Noah and Micah.
When asked what message from the Gospel people struggled with the most, Pastor Dave said, “I think people don't believe it can be true. That God loves us that much. I'm not just talking about whether or not you believe the Bible is true, but about believing in the generosity of God's grace, the depth of God's compassion, the breadth of God's mercy.
“I don't think I always get it either,” he adds. “I think it's unfathomable. But in this singular person of Jesus, God in the flesh, Emmanuel, we see a bigger picture of how God designed and desires this world to be: a world that is centered in peace, in loving sacrifice, in inclusivity, in calling us to task, and in an amazing promise of renewal.”
The Rev. Heidi David-Young
Pastor
The Rev. Heidi David-Young grew up in the city of Lexington, Kentucky, and received her bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She received her Ministry of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, in Atlanta, planning on going into diaconal ministry rather than becoming a pastor. While at seminary she met another seminarian, her future husband and Bethel’s other pastor, Pastor Dave Young.
When the couple moved to Cincinnati for Pastor Dave's first call, Pastor Heidi took on an administrative role as a fundraiser for an agency called Welcome House, which provided services for homeless people. But she also had moments, sitting in the pew, or taking a turn at preaching, when she thought about becoming ordained herself. In 2007, she felt the call to become a pastor. Pastor Heidi completed her Lutheran seminary education at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, and was ordained in 2010, shortly before she began serving as pastor at Bethel.
Pastor Heidi affirms the importance of continuing to grow in faith, including growing in our ideas about God. “I remember the twenty-somethings in my Christian Education class – talking about when they were attending camps or experiencing intense focused moments – when they were given the opportunity to explore their faith and ask deep questions. We should offer people that opportunity to explore their faith. In our society today, so many people are searching and not finding. So how do we go into the world and help people to do that, faithfully and in a Christian way?”
Anna Havron
Communications Director
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."
Anna and her family came to Bethel because a friend told her it was the sort of place where people could use their gifts. "And we stayed because we saw that this church is an exciting place, with real vision."
Before retiring from her previous career as a researcher in the healthcare field, Anna wrote grant applications and articles for medical journals. She has also enjoyed writing various how-to articles for trade journals, especially when the editors let her use colorful analogies. On the doodling front, her odd looking cartoons of animals and household objects have amused readers of a cookbook and a poetry journal, respectively.
Anna's other interests are coffee and chocolate, especially combined.
Tricia Dietz
Director of Finance
A few months ago Tricia Dietz decided to make a job change, and began praying about what to do next. Then she saw the ad for a bookkeeper at Bethel. “It was really weird timing. It probably was a God wink – it gave me that push to do something different. I had faith that something would happen, and it’s all worked out very well.”
Perhaps it was another God wink that inspired Tricia to pursue a highly portable career in the first place. Tricia, an Ohio native, studied business accounting at Mount Union in Alliance, OH and passed the C.P.A. exam. At Ernst & Young in Canton, OH, she worked in public accounting for non-profits, consulting for various firms. Then she married Joe Dietz, who works for the State Department, and they moved to Virginia. Sort of. While Joe was stationed in Austria, the entire Dietz family, including their two sons (Matthew and Michael) and their dog (Lizzie), moved to Austria with him. However, when Joe was next stationed in Greece, Tricia and the children remained in Virginia. Joe has since returned stateside and brought home a souvenir: Callie the cat. Callie is a native of Greece and has her own passport, which makes her a fitting addition to this well-travelled family.
The Bethel community has proven to be a good fit for the Dietz family. “We came to Bethel and said, ‘This is the right place.’” Tricia says that her small group at Bethel was essential while Joe was overseas. “They were just so caring and always checking on us. We had the support of everyone.”
Terri Hollingsworth
Parish Administrator
Terri Hollingsworth partly credits Bethel’s Disciple Bible Study’s emphasis on using one’s spiritual gifts for inspiring her to apply for the parish administrator’s position. “I fell into the categories of administration, helping and serving.”
Initially, Terri had planned to volunteer temporarily until a permanent staff member could be found. “But the more I prayed about it, it came to me that I should just apply. It was a feeling that this was where I needed to be, and how I needed to serve, and that the timing was right.”
Terri also brings solid experience when it comes to administration. She majored in business education at Indiana University in Indiana, Pennsylvania, earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Delaware State College, and taught high school business courses, emphasizing administrative and office skills, for several years.
Terri and her family first visited Bethel after she got involved with the Godly Play curriculum for young children. They stayed because, as Terri puts it, “Bethel is just a very authentic community that is willing to try new things and to support ideas. I feel that it is very spirit-led in all areas.”
Terri enjoys the opportunities that her new role as parish administrator provides. “The coordinating with a church of this size, keeping everything running smoothly, means that you're always learning new things. I think the most enjoyable part for me is just the interaction with everyone in the office and the calls that come through the office. It’s an opportunity to get to know everyone a little better.”
Patty White
Sexton
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Office: 540.662.3245 |
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.”
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