Staff

The staff of Oaklette United Methodist Church includes the following:
 
Minister: Rev. Ned Alderman
 
Music Director: Dana Moody
 
Administrative Assistant: Eileen Ballance
 
Financial Secretary: Edna Bess
 
 
Minister
 
Ned Alderman is a 1984 graduate of Virginia Wesleyan College and 2000 graduate of Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. He pastored the Cheriton charge on the Eastern Shore 2000-4 and was ordained an elder in full connection in the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2004. He also superseded to active duty as a Navy chaplain in 2004, and served at Marine Corps Base Camp Fuji. Japan; with Carrier Airwing 14 in Lemoore, Calif.; and at the Surface Force Ministry Center in Norfolk. He volunteered for individual augmentee orders to Camp Bucca, Iraq, in 2008-9. He separated from active duty at the end of 2010. He then completed an internship and residency in clinical pastoral education at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Hampton and joined the naval reserves in 2012. In 2013 he was appointed to Central UMC in Clifton Forge and in 2014 appointed to Epworth UMC in Norfolk. In 2019 he was appointed to Trinity UMC in King George and in 2020 he was mobilized as a reservist to serve as command chaplain at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. He has served High Street UMC since Sept. 1, 2021, and been appointed to Oaklette UMC in Chesapeake effective July 2, 2023.
 
 
Music Director
 
Dana Moody has been involved in the music department at Oaklette UMC since a very young age.  She became organist at Oaklette in 1974 and later became director of music as well.  She graduated from Old Dominion University in 1980 with  a B.A. degree in music education and organ .  She has been teaching elementarty music in the Norfolk Public School system for the last 17 years.  Dana and Don, her husband, have 4 children and a son in-law; Megan, husband Jared, Evan, Kaitlin and Mary Beth.  They enjoy the outdoors life God has graced with in Aydlett, North Carolina where they enjoy their cottage on the Currituck Sound.  
 
 
Administrative Assistant 

Eileen Ballance joined the staff of Oaklette UMC as Administrative Assistant on May 16, 2016 after working as a Temporary Employee for a few weeks. Originally from Pennsylvania, she and her husband Lee live in Norfolk and own a NC Century Farm near Elizabeth City, NC. Eileen retired from Optima Health in 2014, and is a certified tax preparer. She is a Norfolk Master Gardener. She has two adult daughters and enjoys knitting, crocheting, quilting and gardening. Eileen is a member of Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church where she sings in the choir, leads the Communityh Garden Project, and is the Treasurer. 

 
Financial Secretary
 
Edna Bess came to work for Oaklette United Methodist Church in June of 2008.  Her previous job had lasted 35 years and she had not worked in a year.  Edna believes the Lord had this job waiting for her and feels that she is very blessed.  Her husband is retired from Ford and they have six grandchildren. . . well really only four, as two of them are bull dogs.  Their oldest grandson is going to Va. Tech in the fall.  They like old cars, so when they go on vacation they go to old car shows.