A Church on Regester Chapel Road
Regester Chapel United Methodist Church sits along a quiet stretch of Regester Chapel Road in Stafford, Virginia, within easy reach of Fredericksburg and Quantico. The building where the congregation now gathers was first occupied in December 1998, after the church moved from an older location about half a mile away. The move was the latest chapter in a story that begins in the late 1800s, when Stafford County's first Methodists are believed to have met at the Stafford Courthouse. A quarterly conference record from April 28, 1883 mentions the first actual church building, which stood for thirty-one years before being replaced in 1911. On April 23, 1923, that second building was almost completely destroyed by a tornado; the survivors met again at the courthouse while a third sanctuary was erected and dedicated on July 31, 1927. A 1959 educational wing and a 1983 classroom wing extended the old property, and a 2002 youth building with classrooms, a gymnasium, and a kitchen expanded the new one.
The church was named for Dr. Samuel Regester, who later served as presiding elder (the title now used for district superintendent) of the Virginia Conference. Regester Chapel is still an active part of that conference today, and it remains rooted in Stafford County life, sponsoring a Children's Center preschool, Scout ministries, a Clown ministry, and a Mothers' Morning Out program alongside its regular work of worship and discipleship.
Worship at Ten on Sunday Morning
Each Sunday at 10:00 a.m., the congregation gathers in the sanctuary for a blended service that weaves traditional and contemporary music together. The order of worship includes a children's message; afterward, children are invited to Sunday School for the remainder of the service. Nursery care is provided during worship. Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month, baptisms are scheduled for those seeking the rite, and additional services mark the Advent-Christmas and Lent-Easter seasons.
Visitors who arrive for the first time will find the front door staffed by greeters and a parking area reserved near the chapel for newcomers. Attendance averages around sixty people, swelling past one hundred on Christmas Eve and Easter. Dress runs the full range from shorts and blue jeans to suits, and the only expectation the congregation names is the willingness to let God in. The single-level building has no steps from the parking lot, restrooms are ADA compliant, doorways are thirty-six inches wide, and hearing-assisted devices are available on request.
Those who cannot attend in person can join via the church's YouTube livestream or the RCUMC Facebook livestream.
Three Choirs and a Praise Team
Music is woven into the life of the church at every level. The Chancel Choir leads the congregation in traditional hymns and joins the Praise Team twice a year for a combined cantata. The Praise Team itself draws on a wide repertoire, from contemporary radio worship songs to hymns given a modern arrangement, and welcomes new musicians of any experience level. A Bell Choir adds ringing tones on selected Sundays and during special seasons like Easter and Christmas, while the men of the church traditionally sing on Mother's Day and the women on Father's Day, with both groups now contributing special songs more often throughout the year.
Traditional music is led by Music Director Dawn Abel, who has spent three decades directing ensembles along the East Coast and once toured with a family gospel group. Contemporary worship is co-led by Anthony Gerogosian, a guitarist, drummer, bassist, singer, and songwriter who has been teaching music in Stafford and Woodbridge since 1997. Pianist and cellist Teresa Wu accompanies the choirs and ensembles. The media side of worship is steered by Lead Audio and Visual Technician Isaiah Morton and Social Media Coordinator Nicholas Schneider, who together manage livestream production and the church's online presence across YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
Children, Youth, and the Children's Center
Children are a daily presence at Regester Chapel. The Children's Center Preschool serves as a ministry of the church, recognized by the state of Virginia as a religiously exempt program for children ages thirty-six months (by September 30) through five. Classes run Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings from 9:15 to 12:15, with small class sizes, low teacher-to-student ratios, and Christian values woven into the day's activities. Tuition is $280 per month with a $150 non-refundable registration fee; an optional Wednesday "Lunch Bunch" extends the day for five-year-olds. Donna Curran coordinates the program.
Children's Sunday School resumes each September after a summer break, and the church welcomes volunteers willing to teach as little as one Sunday a month. Vacation Bible School fills a week each summer with games, crafts, and Bible teaching. The recent "Rainforest Falls" VBS drew children from the wider community for a week of shared fun and learning.
REVIVE, the church's youth program, meets Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. in the Youth Center for grades 5 through 12, with a short lesson, an engaging activity, and time for fellowship. A separate Recharge open-gym block runs Wednesdays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., offering snacks for the youth, coffee for the adults, and games for everyone in between.
Adults in Every Season
The congregation's adult ministries cover a wide stretch of life stages. Big Kids, the church's 50-plus fellowship, gathers for a potluck lunch, conversation, and programs ranging from local history and ancestry to sing-alongs and travel stories. Joyful Stitches, a knitting and crocheting group meeting Tuesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 in the Youth Center, makes prayer shawls blessed by the pastor and baby blankets for newborns in the congregation and the Children's Center.
Journeymen is the men's ministry, organized around the rhythm of a biweekly Friday breakfast at a local restaurant, Bible study, life-skill classes, daily prayer for the pastor's devotional, and outreach to other men. United Women in Faith (formerly United Methodist Women) meets the second Saturday of each month from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. in the Youth Center, with hybrid options available; the unit funds programs supporting women, children, and youth locally and worldwide.
Young adult men from high school senior year through age thirty-five can join a Thursday-night basketball ministry in the Youth Center Gym from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The church has also launched a Singles Ministry for adults eighteen and older, single, divorced, or widowed, with planning meetings shaping its early programming around friendship, faith, and navigating single life with purpose.
Care Through Prayer and Presence
Pastoral care at Regester Chapel runs through both clergy and laity. The Lay Pastor Ministry, in place at the church since 2002 and modeled on Dr. Melvin J. Steinbron's work, calls and equips members with pastoral gifts to provide consistent, intentional caring for every member of the congregation through prayer, availability, contact, and example. The prayer life of the church extends outward through a weekly Wednesday noon phone prayer session open to anyone with a request or a heart to pray, plus a dedicated prayer room in the church foyer where the Prayer Ministry Team meets with individuals as needs arise. Prayer requests can be submitted online at any time.
A Mission That Looks Outward
Regester Chapel's mission statement names the goal plainly: to reach out to the unchurched and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. That outward focus shows up in mission trips organized through the church - previous teams have traveled to Danville, Virginia, and the congregation was preparing for an Asheville, North Carolina, rebuilding trip in partnership with Woodmont UMC. Among the church's standing offerings are a Grief Support ministry and a Martial Arts class, both listed under Church Happenings.
What We Believe
Regester Chapel stands within the United Methodist tradition and traces its roots back to the Methodist movement of spiritual renewal and revival. The congregation professes the Apostles' Creed and holds that faith is a heartwarming assurance of God's love, that grace is available to everyone, that personal salvation is bound up with social participation in Christ's mission, and that true Christians practice what they profess. Members describe themselves as proud United Methodists and extend an open invitation to anyone who wants to share in the journey.
Supporting the Work
Regester Chapel UMC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt religious organization. Gifts can be made online through PayPal, by check mailed to 106 Regester Chapel Road, Stafford, VA 22554, or through a bank bill-pay service naming Regester Chapel as the payee. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the church can be reached at (540) 659-2642 or office@regesterchapel.org.