Zion United Methodist Church

Seaford, Virginia

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John and Robin

John Haynes served as Pastor of Aldersgate United Methodist Church on the Peninsula District, Amissville United Methodist Church on the Charlottesville District, Portlock United Methodist Church on the Norfolk District, and Mount Zion United Methodist Church on the Staunton District.

John is currently serving as chair of the Peninsula District Finance Committee, as a member of the Peninsula District Committee for Building and Church Location, and as a member of the Peninsula District Committee on the Superintendency.

John holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, a Master of Science in Educational Administration from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, and a Master of Divinity from Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Harrisonburg, Virginia. His professional experience during a military career includes work in military intelligence, education and training management, organizational development, and project management.

John was baptized as an infant in a Methodist Church, grew up in a Christian family, and has served as a Sunday school teacher, committee member, and board member in several United Methodist churches and military chapels before retiring from the United States Navy and answering a call to ordained ministry.

John & Robin have been married for 34 years and have two adult sons, John, Jr. and Matt. John Jr. and his wife Kathleen are both United Methodist clergy serving churches in Northern Virginia. Matt is career Army, and he and his wife Hayley are currently living in Fairbanks, Alaska.

John’s passion for ministry and mission is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, to empower laity-clergy cooperation in ministry, to facilitate spiritual growth in the local church, and to promote friendship-style evangelism in the surrounding community.    Haynesjohn1@verizon.net

Linnea with Some of Her Friends in Romania

Linnea Carlson is a graduate of Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska, and holds her Master’s degree in Family Ministry. Before coming to Zion she served as the Minister of Family Life at Saint Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Silver Spring, Maryland from 1998-2004. During this time, she organized special programs, taught classes, and developed youth programs amongst all the on going duties of ministering to a thriving congregation.

Linnea has a heart for mission work and has served across the US and abroad in Australia, Papua New Guinea & Romania. She went to Romania last summer to do a VBS program and work with abandoned children.

Linnea grew up in Richmond, her mom and two brothers still reside there. She also has a sister who lives in Chicago.  Linnea’s hobbies include photography, music and going out to eat.

Linnea loves her work at Zion, partly due to the wide variety of ministry challenges.  She enjoys her house in Seaford.     Carlsonl1@verizon.net

Pat Sparrer was a Senior Administrative Assistant to the Director of Finance, Credit & Cash Management at BASF Corporation. She retired after 34 years. Pat’s responsibilities were in Finance/Cash Management and the Quality Program. She also volunteered as a Rape Crisis counselor for three years.

 Pat has been married to Raymond for 45 years.  Raymond is Zion’s Sunday School Superintendent. They have one son, Mike, living in Christiansburg with his wife, Holly, and their two children.  Both Pat and Raymond enjoy their grandchildren, six year old Allison and three year old Tyler.  Pat’s Hobbies include her grandchildren, golf, reading and cooking.  Sparrerp1@verizon.net

Judy Morel was raised in a musical environment.  Her father was a music educator and a concert violinist/violist.  Judy’s instruments are piano and flute/piccolo.

After majoring in music education and minoring in flute at the University of Rhode Island, Judy married and moved to Germany where she became the choir director of a military chapel in Mainz.  Since that time, she has been gainfully employed as a choir director in every place she has lived ,for the past thirty-six years.  Zion United Methodist Church has happily been her church home for six years.

Judy is a fulltime middle school English teacher in the public school system.  She has two sons, Ben and Jon, who live in the area.   Her hobbies include sailing and line dancing.

We welcome Carey Whitley as Zion’s new organist!

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