Teresa Woodworth, Associate Pastor
Originally from northern California, Teresa has a background in American Sign Language and Education with a degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from California State University Fresno. Married to a retired Marine Corps officer, Teresa has traveled and lived in a variety of places, including Okinawa, Japan.
After settling in Chesapeake VA and her husband’s retirement, Teresa began pursuing her call to ministry. She has worked as Director of Children’s Ministry at Ebenezer UMC in Suffolk since September 2019.
Teresa has a passion for justice, connectionalism, missions and creation care. She is enthusiastic about ancient spiritual practices and faith formation for all ages believing in John Wesley’s small group model for making disciples. Some other interests include hiking, family road trips, Star Trek, game nights, Duke basketball, and running half marathons.
Teresa is married to Zach, and they have three children: Maggie, in college at Mary Washington University, Caleb, 2022 graduate of Grassfield High School, and Lucy a student at Great Bridge Middle School. Six years ago, they rescued Merlin, a 70-pound lap dog, and adopted him into the family.
She graduated from Duke Divinity School in 2020 with a Master of Arts in Christian Practice and became a Certified Candidate for ministry and was approved for licensed ministry in 2021. Teresa will return to Duke this Fall in a Hybrid program pursuing a Master of Divinity Degree. Teresa is excited to be joining the Community UMC family and looks forward to an amazing and fruitful ministry together.