Ministry Team

At this time, Bethel is served by part-time staff.

Rev. Dr. Harry Donald (Don) Smith, began as Bethel Church’s Interim Pastor on 1 January 2008. Prior to coming to Bethel, Don served as the Senior Minister for nine years at the United Church (UCC – UMC) located in Foggy Bottom in Washington, DC. He has served UCC churches for over thirty-five years in PA, VA, RI, and CT.  Rev. Smith is from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He attended Lancaster Theological Seminary and Eastern Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. His academic interests are history and philosophy. He holds a professional degree (Doctor of Ministry) in Ministry to Marriage and Family. Dr. Smith is married to Mary J. Schantz who works in publishing. They live in Washington. Their adult children, Matthew and Elizabeth live in Connecticut and Winchester, England, respectively.

Rev. Smith's Offfice hours:
Tuesday, 10:30 am-1:30 pm
Wednesday, 4 pm -7 pm
Friday, 10:30 am - 1:30 pm

Rev. Carolyn Richar, our Associate Pastor, has served Bethel part-time since graduating from Emory University in Atlanta, GA with a BSN and Master of Divinity in 1988. Carolyn’s full-time ministry is as a chaplain for Hospice of Northern Virginia. She is married to David Diesselhorst, and is mom of Matthew, Curtis and Megan. In addition to her ministries at Bethel and with Hospice, Carolyn is involved with Boy and Girl Scouts, and is a lead cheerleader at many sporting events for her children. Her hobbies include music, hiking, needlework, reading, and finding new ways to cook chocolate.

Robin McCord, Minister of Music

Julie Jernigan, Church Associate

 Karen Graver, our Webmaster. Karen has attended Bethel UCC since she was  born; being baptized as a baby and joining the church as a teenager. She has her BS and MS in Physics and enjoys making websites. She lives in Burke, VA and is planning a summer wedding. She can be reached at KGraver aol.com for any website ideas!