About Us

Hi,my name is Derek Koolman and I began serving at Christ UMC in 2012.  After 20 years in ministry I have returned to familiar territory as I 'm a native of Chesapeake.  Like my journey back to Tidewater, my faith journey has been a long, strange trip.  It would have been much harder had God not paired me with my wife, Lisa.  She and I (and our kids) have served congregations across the state putting particular emphasis on living faith out loud. By that I mean, we put faith in Christ into action everyday through ministries of compassion, with children, and those who have left church or never been inside one.  I hope you'll check out this website and join us at Christ UMC as we walk together in our journey toward God.

Peace,

Derek