You Belong Here

Whether you are new to church or been a Christ-follower for decades, you will find a home with us.

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Our Location

141 George Washington Highway North
Chesapeake, VA 23323

“The local church is the hope of the world.”

we would love to meet you

Our Team & Leadership

Rev. Dr. Michael Nelson

PASTOR

Grace and peace to you! My name is Mike Nelson, and I’m excited to come and serve as your pastor at Deep Creek UMC!

My wife Elaine is a public health nurse, and we have been married since May of 1995. We have two grown children: Claire is 24 and lives in Hampton, and Jeremy is 26. He and his wife Sarah live in Crozet.

I am in my 28th year in ministry, currently serving St. James in Hampton, and Deep Creek will be my 7th appointment. I’ve served churches of all sizes, rural, urban, and suburban. From 2006 to 2010, I pastored Messiah UMC, just down the road!

As a pastor, I strive to partner with you to fulfill the greatest commandment: To love the Lord our God with all our heart, and mind, and soul, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves.

We do this by enriching our spiritual lives through authentic and engaging worship, developing a deep and meaningful spiritual life, and participating in God’s mission in our community and the world. Christian service does not stop at the sanctuary doors. And Deep Creek is a perfect example of that!

Integral to our mission is to show that Christianity is not simply following a set of rules, but is developing a personal relationship with God, which gives us the freedom to care for others. At the heart of ministry is grace. The Scriptures are testimony to God continuing to reach out to us, even if we are not ready. God loves us without regard to any merit of our own, or to our age, or race, or ability, or who we love; seeing us simply as God’s children. In turn, God compels us to love others simply because they are God’s children.

Wendy McCoy

DIRECTOR OF FAMILY MINISTRIES & TRADITIONAL MUSIC

Wendy was born in Portsmouth, Virginia before moving with her family throughout the state, and ultimately returning to Portsmouth where she still lives today. She has worked as an organist, pianist, music director, program director and more since 1994. She and her family owned a tutoring center from 2009-2015 to help children and adults of all ages to better their education. She attended Churchland High School and received her BA in Accounting and Music from Virginia Wesleyan University. Wendy worked as an accountant for 6 brief weeks before she realized her calling to work for the United Methodist Church. She and her husband, Ryan, have two beautiful children: Alaina and Aiden. Wendy has long served and loved Deep Creek UMC through various roles including Program Director, Music and Program Director, and now Director of Programs and Traditional Music. She enjoys planning events for all ages—from children to seniors—and fulfilling her calling to serve Christ here with our Deep Creek UMC family.

Nikki Keegan

YOUTH GROUP DIRECTOR & LIVING WATER LEADER

Along with serving as the part-time Director of Youth Ministry and Contemporary Worship Leader, Nikki is a Librarian for Chesapeake Public Schools where she has served as a teacher and librarian for 24 years. For 16 years, she had the extreme privilege and honor to teach theatre at Deep Creek High School. She now serves as the librarian. She has a BA in Theatre and Elementary Education from The College of William & Mary University and a Masters of Secondary Education from Old Dominion University. A lifelong member of the Deep Creek community, Nikki was baptized at DCUMC and served as the youth group president her senior year of high school. After serving at four other UMC churches as Youth Director and/or Contemporary Worship Leader over the last 23 years, she has come home. Community is extremely important to Nikki and she felt called to serve the youth in the community where she works and lives with her husband and three children.

Hollie Rinschler

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Born and raised in southeastern Iowa. Joined the US Navy in 1992, went to Orlando, FL for boot camp, Great Lakes, ILL for Hospital Corpsman school, stationed in Charleston, SC, Puerto Rico, back to Charleston, SC (met and married my husband Mark Rinschler who is also in the navy). Then stationed in Portsmouth, VA, Bethesda, MD, and back to Portsmouth where I retired after 22 years of service in 2014. Finished college degree while still on active duty from Fort Hays State University. Worked for two years after retirement from the Navy at Volvo Medical Associates, and started working at DCUMC as the Administrative Assistant in December 2016. I have a daughter that is in college and a son that is in high school. I enjoy camping, biking, working out, running, kayaking, skiing, adventures big and small and just having a good time with family and friends.

Robert Suter

BOOKKEEPER

Bio coming soon!

Our Beliefs & Values

Deep Creek is a United Methodist congregation committed to its roots in the Wesleyan movement, one in which ALL of us are ministers of the Gospel.

You Are Welcome Here

When you are at Deep Creek, you are welcome and belong. The grace and love of God is given to each of us without exception. No matter who you are, you are a beloved child of God.

Come On Around Back!

The parking lot and main entrance are both located around the rear of the building.

What to Wear

What is the attire at DCUMC? Our presence is the greatest act of worship, and you are encouraged to dress as you feel comfortable. Come as you are!

Your Giving

Giving of time, talents, and resources is a form of worship. It is fitting to respond to God’s unfailing love by supporting the ministries and missions of the church.

Worship Styles

There is something for everyone at DCUMC! The Praise Band and Choir lead music at our blended service at 10 AM. Additionally, we have special musical offerings not limited to handbells, seasonal cantatas, and children’s music opportunities.

Sacraments

As United Methodists, we celebrate two sacraments, baptism and Holy Communion, both of which stem from Christ’s call to baptize all nations (Matthew 28) and his invitation to share in the table of his forgiveness and grace (Luke 22). We believe in one baptism, a gift of God’s grace that reaches into our lives from the moment we are born. Holy Communion is the Lord’s Table and therefore, open to all, regardless of denomination, tradition, age, or ability.

Care for All

As the Body of Christ, we are bound to one another in Christ’s love through life’s many mountains and valleys. We are a community who cares through acts of presence, prayer, hospitality, and service.

Sunday’s Sermon

It is our prayer that each week, the sermon speaks to you in such a way that you come away from worship different than when you arrived, deepening your understanding of God’s relationship with you and feeling inspired by the Holy Spirit in your discipleship journey.

“Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. “

Ephesians 2:20–22 (ESV)

a brief glance

Our History

Deep Creek United Methodist Church has been a prominent presence in our community since 1828, when for the sum of $7.50, land was granted for the building of a place of worship that has been a site of mission and ministry, reaching generations through discipleship and a commitment to the core tenets Christ’s teaching, love of God and love of neighbor.

Deep Creek Methodist Episcopal Church, originally located nearby Shell Road in 1835, was a single wooden building pastored by the early Methodist circuit preachers, who would ride on horses from church to church to ensure worship could take place.

The Civil War brought about many changes to the church, from the burning of the building, the renaming of the church to Rehoboth Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the lamentable division that took place in the denomination over the sin of slavery in 1860.

1876 saw the relocation of the church (a single room sanctuary) to its present location on George Washington Highway, leased for $1/year until its purchase by the US Department of Engineers in 1940. The church was then called Rogers-Beulah Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

In 1890, the church became Deep Creek Methodist Church, South until the 1939 Plan of Union brought the various Methodist denominations back together. The South was dropped from the name.

1940 saw the church’s shift from a three point circuit of churches to a single charge, and the need for classroom and fellowship space as the growth was outpacing the limited space. This led to the construction of the first education building. That same year, the land was purchased from the U.S. Corps of Engineers. The old frame building was remodeled in the late 40s with the dedication of the new sanctuary building in 1950. With the membership increasing, more classroom space was needed yet again. The current educational building was completed in 1966.

Upon the union of the Evangelical United Brethren and the Methodist Church, Deep Creek became one of many charges in the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Today, our church consists of three buildings, our sanctuary building (constructed in 1992 while still maintaining the old sanctuary, which now functions as our present narthex to accommodate the continued growth of the church), our education building, and the “Annex” building (Purchased in 1998 from the Deep Creek Baptist Church), which houses our Childcare and Food Pantry missions).

questions?

Contact Us Here At Deep Creek UMC

Call Us

757 – 487 – 1698

Email Us

[email protected]