Staff
Zion's staff are dedicated to serving the needs of the Church and would be happy to talk to you and help you in any way we can! Feel free to call the church or send an email if you'd like to get in touch with someone.
Pastor
Rev. Beth Gedert
pastorbeth@zionucc.org
To schedule a meeting with Pastor Beth, in person on virtually, click here https://calendly.com/bethgedert/coffee
Beth is an enthusiastic extrovert who thinks being a pastor is the best job in the world. She spends her time providing pastoral care, writing encouraging sermons, and equipping the people of Zion for works of service. Beth has a master’s in divinity from Methodist Theological School in Ohio and more than a decade of experience in church leadership and non-profit management. She was ordained by the United Church of Christ in 2018. She spends her downtime listening to audiobooks, sewing, and taking walks with her husband, Sam.
Music Director
Brian White
brian@zionucc.org
740-362-6691
Brian White has been playing music in church since he began taking piano lessons in grade school. He has been music director at Zion for over 10 years and enjoys directing both the vocal choir and handbell choir and playing the piano and organ during each worship service. He also teaches high school math at Delaware Area Career Center (DACC) and serves as music director for Delaware’s Arena Fair community theater productions. He is blessed to be married to Susan and to have three incredibly talented children.
Youth Pastor
Rev. Kara Jones
Contact Rev Kara Jones
740-362-6691
Kara has been serving professionally in youth ministry since 2001 in a number of denominations and churches in Central Ohio. She is an ordained Deacon (clergy) in the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church and is the founding youth pastor of Intertwine Youth Ministry Collective, which partners Zion UCC with William Street United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church of Delaware, and Asbury United Methodist Church. Kara has a Master of Divinity degree and a Master of Arts in Counseling Ministries degree from Methodist Theological School in Ohio. Kara loves engaging in faith conversations, particularly with middle and high school youth. In addition to serving as youth pastor of Intertwine YMC, Kara is also the community minister and manager at Common Ground Free Store Ministries and teaches private music lessons at Delaware Music Center.
Office Administrator
Nicole Rae Guthrie (she/her)
Church office: 740.362.6691
nicole@zionucc.org
Nicole comes to Zion with over a decade of office/church administration and customer service experience. She is a lover of all things office supplies, especially those that enhance organization and are also fun! She is known as a pen connoisseur among her friends and colleagues and enjoys a good spreadsheet. Nicole is a current seminary student at Methodist Theological School in Ohio pursuing a dual degree: Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Social Justice with a concentration in ecological justice and queer studies. Her future plans include regenerative and sustainable animal and vegetable farming with a theological emphasis. When she is not reading and writing for school , Nicole loves being outside, spending time with her friends, and living life with her wife, Kristen, and their senior citizen pug, Mowgli.