HEDGES CHAPEL
Our Ministers and Lay Preachers
We are interdenominational and use a cadre of ministers and lay preachers to provide the message to the faithful at Hedges Chapel.
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Currently Reverends Cushwa, Gladwell and Manning are preaching full-time elsewhere.
Reverend Carl Howard
Reverend Carl Howard, following a career in journalism and government public affairs, in 2004 was ordained a Minister of Word and Sacrament and served for 10 years as pastor of the Little Falls and Hedgesville Presbyterian Churches.
Retired from the State Department, Pastor Carl was a Foreign Service Officer for 32 years before entering Wesley Theological Seminary to receive a Master of Divinity degree. He also holds Master’s degrees in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and in national security issues from the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.
Locally, he also is a member of the board of the nonprofit Panhandle Home Health Care and formerly was chairman of the board of Community Networks, Inc., a tri-county nonprofit organization that operates a shelter for homeless women and children and carries out transitional housing and HIV/AIDS programs.
A native of Texas, Pastor Carl and his wife Beverly have a daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren who live in Martinsburg.
Ms. Mary Gunderson King
Currently a theology student, Mary is one of the leaders of Immanuel's House, an ecumenical church community in action which serves as a resource center for homeless and disadvantaged individuals and families in Martinsburg, WV. Her sermons at the Chapel often feature her singing and guitar-playing skills and real life stories from her work with Immanuel's House and the local prison.
Reverend Nancy Page
Reverend Nancy Page has a Bachelor of Music and Business degree from Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pa. , and Seton Hill College in Greensburg, Pa. She was married to the Reverend I. Lee Page.
After Lee's death, Nancy immediately enrolled in Pittsburgh Seminary and took his place at Sugar Grove Presbyterian Church in Sugar Grove, Pa. Nancy traveled professionally with her sister and two cousins throughout Europe and the United States.
She retired in December 2016 and moved to The Woods in March 2017 to be close to her children and their families.
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Reverend Marion Phillips, III
Reverend Phillips serves Mt. Sinai Baptist Church in Newark NJ. He and his family maintain a part-time residence in The Woods and he preaches at the Chapel whenever possible. During the pandemic, we joined with Mt. Sinai online with a joint service conducted by Reverend Phillips.
Reverend John R. Yost
John R. Yost has been a United Methodist pastor since his first appointment in 1982, retiring from active service in 2017. John has served six appointments in the Baltimore-Washington Conference, primarily in West Virginia. John is a second-career pastor, having first been a college Librarian and Instructor of Library Science, most recently at Shepherd College (now Shepherd University). John is a graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., class of 1985.
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John grew up in West Virginia. He has lived in Berkeley Springs, Martinsburg, Fairmont, Lexington (Kentucky), Williamson, Turkey Creek (Kentucky), Naugatuck, Shenandoah Junction, and Hagerstown (Maryland). John has been married to Geneva (Napier) for 43 years. They have three beautiful daughters, nine grandchildren, and three strong sons-in-law. He has one sister, Mary Lynn Flenner, who resides near Martinsburg.
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The theme of John’s life has been God’s Grace, from early childhood to the present. Sometimes God’s Grace has been like a gentle yet powerful wind; sometimes a swift kick when he needed it.
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John is a T’ai chi chu’an practitioner, having taught classes since 2006. John is anticipating what God is calling him to do next, and how he should spend the remaining years of his life in this world.