A Small, Open Church on Duryea Drive
Huguenot United Methodist Church sits at 10661 Duryea Drive in the western part of Chesterfield County, named for the neighborhoods that surround it just south of the James River. The motto that runs through everything the church does is simple and direct: "To Be a Church in Service and in Witness to Our Members and Our Community." Members describe their congregation as a small, close knit and open church that invites neighbors to "join us for worship, study, fellowship, and service as together we learn and grow in faith, and share the good news of Jesus Christ with community and the world." Huguenot UMC is a member congregation of the Virginia United Methodist Conference.
Pastor Denise Watkins: A Seventh Church, A Long Calling
The pastor at Huguenot is Denise Watkins, a second-career minister for whom Huguenot is the seventh congregation she has served. Her call to ministry came in December of 2004 while she was a longtime member of Woodlake United Methodist Church, where she and her husband Mike had been members since 1988 - back when Woodlake was still a church plant meeting in a local elementary school. They served that church in many ways, including teaching and serving on committees and special teams, before she entered Union Presbyterian Seminary. She graduated in May 2010 with a Master of Divinity degree and has been in ministry for sixteen years.
Her path has run through Christian Education leadership at Salisbury Presbyterian and Woodlake UMC, and thirteen years as Lead Pastor of several small churches around the Richmond and Crewe areas. She and Mike have been married for 39 years. Mike works for Chesterfield County Public Schools as a Career Experience Consultant for the Work Based Learning Program, after more than thirty years in the hospitality field. They are the parents of three adult children and the proud grandparents of two.
Sunday at Eleven and the People Who Make It Run
Worship is held Sundays at 11:00 AM in the sanctuary. The service uses a printed bulletin each week, posted in PDF form, with a recording of the sermon and music. Recent bulletins going back to early spring are archived for members who want to catch up. Lay liturgists serve alongside the pastor in a rotation that runs through the entire year, with named volunteers covering most Sundays and substitutes ready to step in when needed.
Usher teams are paired by month. Couples and individuals cover most Sundays, and a counter team of two meets each Sunday to handle the offering. Office Administrator Elaine Grider, who joined the staff in July 2018 after retiring from a career as a Chesterfield County elementary school teacher, coordinates communication, publications, and the volunteer rotations that keep each Sunday running smoothly.
For those who cannot attend in person, services are livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, with recordings posted shortly afterward. Online giving is available for members and friends who want to support the church from a distance.
Adult Sunday School meets at 10:00 AM in the Fellowship Hall, with coffee and conversation beginning around 9:45. The class is currently on hiatus; members interested in the Adult Bible Study can reach out to Gerry Flinchbaugh.
Music: Traditional to Gospel, and a New Handbell Choir
Music ministry at Huguenot is led by Constance (Connie) Salmeri, who came to the church from Lakeside Presbyterian Church, where she had been music director for ten years before its closing in December 2020. She has also been the principal substitute organist at St. Edward Church for more than thirty years, singing in the choir, ringing in the bell choir, and accompanying the St. Edward School choir along the way. At Huguenot her goal is to grow the choir while leading the congregation through "a variety of music, from traditional to contemporary to gospel."
The Adult Choir rehearses on Wednesdays at 7:30 PM, mid-August through mid-June. Repertoire is always scripturally and theologically based, and the choir presents a major cantata at least once a year. New singers are always welcome; those interested can contact Connie through the church office.
Since spring 2024, a small handbell and chime choir has been ringing in worship. New ringers do not need to read music - the only skills required are the ability to count to six and a love of music. The bells meet most Tuesday evenings at 7:00 PM in the sanctuary, with details confirmed through the church calendar.
Children, the Nursery, and the On-Site Preschool
Children are welcome in worship at Huguenot. A staffed nursery is also available every Sunday from 10:45 AM until 12:15 PM. Rosalie Koch, the nursery caregiver, was a former preschool teacher at the church's own preschool for many years and holds current CPR and First Aid certification. She is joined each Sunday by a rotating church volunteer who helps welcome the children.
The preschool on the church campus has been a part of Huguenot's ministry for many years. Director Debbi Mintz has led the program since 2003, after earning her B.A. in Elementary Education from William & Mary, her M.Ed. from Liberty University, and six years of teaching third grade. She and her staff serve children from the surrounding neighborhoods. Enrollment information is at humcpreschool.com.
Hands and Feet: Six Mission Ministries
The Mission Team at Huguenot is the congregation's main outlet for service beyond the church walls. Its stated purpose is to act as "the hands and feet of our Lord Jesus Christ, committed and dedicated (to the best of our ability) to the service of others locally, nationally and internationally." Six ongoing projects give members many ways to put that purpose into practice.
The Blessing Box is a small wooden pantry beside the preschool parking lot, stocked with shelf-stable food, personal hygiene items, household products, and new clothing for anyone in the neighborhood who needs them. The congregation keeps it filled year-round with items like canned soups and meats, peanut butter, beans, rice, pasta, cereals, crackers, granola bars, canned fruits and vegetables, condiments, and infant formula. Cold-weather-friendly items are preferred in winter.
Each Christmas the Angel Tree Project adopts a family or community organization in need and works together to provide Christmas assistance. Huguenot has also sponsored and taken part in the Rise Against Hunger meal-packing event for many years. Members help stock and distribute food and household products through Bainbridge Community Ministry, serving elderly and low-income neighbors in the wider community, and they volunteer on site to distribute the supplies directly.
Once a month, members prepare and serve a meal at Broomfield Church for neighbors experiencing homelessness through the Friends of the Homeless ministry. A yearlong rotation of couples and singles takes turns cooking and delivering the meal. Across the ocean, the Dress a Girl Around the World ministry produces handmade dresses for girls in need around the world. Sewers with a machine and basic skills are welcome; coordinator Molly Sprouse can answer questions.
Fellowship and Bible Study Through the Week
Life at Huguenot extends well beyond Sunday morning. On the first Sunday of each month, the church gathers for Coffee Fellowship in the Fellowship Hall right after worship, where coffee, tea, juice, and light snacks are served. On the second Wednesday evening of each month, members meet at 6:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall for a covered-dish dinner followed by a short program. Prayer ministry is a central part of that Wednesday gathering, lifting up people who need prayer and giving thanks where it is due; participants bring a dish to share.
The Women's Bible Study meets at the church on Thursdays at 10:00 AM. The group is open to women from a variety of denominations who want to learn more about God, with discussion and study built around books by authors such as Adam Hamilton, John Ortberg, Amy-Jill Levine, Max Lucado, the New Testament commentaries by William Barclay, and the Bible itself. Topics are chosen by consensus; visitors are always welcome.
United Women in Faith, the United Methodist Church's long-standing women's organization, meets monthly on the second Tuesday at 10:30 AM. The group holds a program and a short business meeting each month and welcomes both longtime members and women who have not yet joined. United Women in Faith's mission includes spiritual growth, leadership development, transformative education, and service and advocacy on behalf of women, children, and youth around the world.
A Volunteer-Run Congregation
Like many small churches, Huguenot's life is shaped by its volunteers. Each year the church publishes schedules that assign liturgists, ushers, and counters to every Sunday of the year. The Feed the Homeless schedule lists the couples who take a turn each month preparing a meal at Broomfield Church, with a designated driver for delivery. Members who cannot serve on their assigned Sunday trade duties with another volunteer so the bulletin can be kept accurate.
Each week the congregation publishes The Pulse, a newsletter with announcements, prayer needs, and a look at the week ahead. Recent issues going back to spring are archived for members who want to catch up. Together, the bulletins, The Pulse, and the volunteer schedules are the connective tissue that holds the church's many activities together across the year.