Staff

Charles (Chaz) Blasdell was born and raised in northern Virginia.  Throughout his high school and college years he was very active in the church and youth ministry.  Upon graduating from college, he moved to Fredericksburg, Va. where he volunteered as a youth advisor in his new church home where he met his wife Amy.

In 1994, he graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur Ga. He began his ministry as an Associate Pastor for Youth in Michigan where he discovered that God had in fact blessed him with ministry gifts beyond youth. God then led him to Glenn Springs, SC. where he took on his first solo pastor position. After several years, he became enamored by the promise of adventure and opportunities for ministry offered by the Navy as a Chaplain so he joined the Navy Chaplain Corps.

He served as ship’s Chaplain aboard the USS Trenton out of Norfolk, Virginia, and 3rd Marines in Hawaii.  While his time with the Navy was an adventure, he came to realize that a career in the Navy was not what God was calling him to.  His heart still belonged to parish ministry.

After leaving the Navy he served two yoked churches in the mountains of central Pennsylvania for a number of years before family concerns necessitated his return to Fredericksburg, Va. Within two months, God led him to Milden Presbyterian church in the small riverside village of Sharps, Va. where he served as their part-time stated supply.  He greatly enjoyed caring for the wonderful and supportive members of this small but loving congregation.

In the summer of 2019, God led him to Gilwood, where he has found a Christian home and a community of believers that will stand side by side with him as he continues to serve his lord and savior Jesus Christ and bring the gospel to all God’s children.

Chaz and Amy have two sons; Eddie, who is a chief in the Coast Guard and has two children, and Jeff, a truly gifted carpenter who also has two children.

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Cynthia Lawing, a native of Hong Kong, received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Wittenberg University, The Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University. She has performed throughout the United States and various countries in Asia and South America. In additional to her performance schedule, she is in great demand as a clinician and adjudicator. Cynthia began her stewardship as a church musician at age 8, currently serving as the Music Director and organist at Gilwood Presbyterian Church in Concord. Cynthia Lawing is a member of the Applied Music faculty at Davidson College.

Matt studied music performance and audio engineering at the University of Maryland Baltimore and the College of Southern Maryland. He has extensively toured the United States and parts of Europe as a singer and guitar player.  In addition to leading worship at Gilwood, Matt also still maintains a heavy performance schedule outside of church. His wife Rebecca plays alongside him as a duet on hand percussion, and you can find the two performing all over the region.  Matt loves all styles of worship including both contemporary and traditional and has a passion for ministries that help homelessness, children/youth and families.