Staff and Leaders

Pastor Ken Waclo (pronounced Walk-Low) is a graduate of Virginia Wesleyan College, and Lancaster Theological Seminary. His previous appointments have included churches in Gloucester, Lynchburg area, Fairfax, Harrisonburg, and Lancaster, Pa. Before becoming a minister Ken served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the US Navy. Originally from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Ken’s family moved to Great Bridge in Chesapeake in 1976.

Ken is married to Alice and they celebrated 32 years of marriage this year. They have two daughters: Abby, a recent graduate of Christopher Newport University; and Mary, a sophomore at Rappahannock Community College. Mary plans to attend Christopher Newport University following her graduation in May 2022.

In his spare time Ken is a member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary and serves as a chaplain to the operational cutters based in Hampton Roads. He is also a member of the Gloucester CERT team. Ken enjoys fishing and jogging. His favorite sports teams are the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Pitt Panthers, the Christopher Newport Captains, and the Liverpool Reds.

Diane is a native of Newport News and has been serving in this position since September of 1986.

Pat earned her BS in Mathematics from William and Mary. She is also an Enrolled Agent before the IRS. She has served at Chestnut since April of 2006.

Kurt earned his Bachelor of Music Degree in Keyboard Performance from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana and his Master of Music Degree in Church Music from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. He also studied counter-point and organ in Vienna, Austria while attending DePauw. He has served in this position since May of 2000.

Carley earned her Bachelor of Music Degree from Christopher Newport University in May of 2009, and her Masters of Arts in Teaching degree from Christopher Newport University in May of 2010. She has a Post-Graduate Professional Teaching License in Music PreK-12. She has been at Chestnut since September of 2011.