WORTON — Bethsheila Hunley has accepted the position of pastor of the charge for St. James United Methodist Church of Worton and Salem United Methodist Church of Fairlee.
A native of Kent County, Hunley lives in Worton. She has a grown son and daughter, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
She first received the call to ministry in 1997.
After graduating from the Course of Study program for local pastors at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Hunley was appointed to the Delaware City Port Penn Charge in 2005, where she pastored a multi-racial charge for 10 years.
In 2015, Hunley was appointed to the Rock Hall-Fairlee Charge, where she served four separate churches.
She also has served in the Peninsula Delaware Conference on various committees including The Cross Racial Multicultural Conference, the National Black Clergy Women, Black United Methodist Pastors of the Pen-Del Conference, the Annual Conference Worship Team, the Spiritual Formation Team, the Equitable Compensation Committee and secretary of the Black Methodist for Church Renewal.
Her secular work experience includes employment as an administrative coordinator with Astrazeneca in Wilmington, Delaware, retiring in 2011.
Since 2017, Hunley has been secretary for Kent County Public Schools’ transportation department; in that position, in 2023, she was the school system’s Support Employee of the Year.
Pastor Hunley’s motto is: “It’s not about me, it’s all about God, and with God all things are possible.”
St. James Church is located at 10965 St. James Newtown Road. Worship is offered on Sundays at 11 a.m., with Sunday school for children at 10 a.m.
Salem Church is located at 23100 Old Fairlee Road, where worship is offered on Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
