Chad Herndon - Lead Pastor
Q & A with Chad
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My wife, Sara (a nurse), and I were married right after our studies at Shenandoah University in June, 2000. We went on to serve as the parsonage family for four appointments before arriving here at New Song. Over the years, we have been blessed to bring home our daughter, Sophie, in May, 2007, our second daughter, Cammie, in May, 2010, and most recently, our son, Silas, in December, 2013. Sophie, Cammie & Silas have changed our lives completely, and all for the better. Being a Pastor, as well as “the son of a preacher man,” our family has lived in most every part of Virginia: Winchester, Colonial Heights, Martinsville, Harrisonburg, Portsmouth, Fairfax and now Mechanicsville. I love that God called me into the ministry – trust me, no one was as surprised as me. I was Ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church in 2007 after completing my Master of Divinity from Eastern Mennonite Seminary. By God’s grace, a passion within continues to be stirred – I deeply love God with all my heart, and hope to step-up in each of the ways Christ has set out for me to accomplish. So far as my relationship with Christ goes, I remember pursuing Occupational Therapy at Shenandoah University when a “Life of Jesus” class completely grabbed my heart. The changes in my perspective were pervasive at every level; doors that had previously been shut suddenly became wide open. Before that, though, God had planted many seeds along the way. I suppose I always knew I’d either sing in church or lead on a team, but to be a Pastor? Well, that wasn’t in the cards (until college). Nonetheless, I have many persons who helped shape my call: friends, family, strangers, all the above… those people who prayed for me to one day say ‘yes’ to Christ are some of my heroes in the faith through this day. Those who beat me down or tried to trip me up were also influential, just not for the reasons they intended. I’ve learned so much from the depths of hardship; I can’t thank God enough for letting me be real in my faith, while at the same time getting to meet others right where they’re at, as well.