A native of St. Joseph, Missouri, Beth Underwood earned her Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies in 2004 from SW Baptist University in Bolivar, MO. She then earned her Master of Divinity degree in 2008 from Drew Theological Seminary in New Jersey. Beth comes to us with a wide range of experiences in ministry. She has ten years of children and youth ministries in varying contexts. Among them, Beth served the Abraham House in NY as an after school program teacher and worked at Denville Community UMC (NJ) as Pastoral Assistant for children, youth and missions outreach. She also has numerous volunteer experiences working with children and youth.
Beth’s strong commitment and passion to children and youth ministry was evidenced when she said: “the primary goal of Christian Education should be drawing children, youth and families to responsible participation in the life, mission and work of the United Methodist Church and the church universal. Through constant prayer, focused and passionate leadership, intentional connection, transformational worship and committed service, I can provide a place where people of all ages can connect on a deep personal and spiritual level…” Ministry to Children and Youth have always been high priority of ministry here at WDM UMC. We believe Beth will be a great addition to our staff and give significant leadership in this area. She will bring to us a deep and passionate commitment to Jesus Christ, rich ministry experiences, strong collaboration skills, sensitivity and care, capacity to listen and lead, and unique leadership gifts to help move us to higher levels of faithfulness in our outreach to childrenand youth.