Rev. Christopher M. Tweel

Currently I am serving as the Senior Pastor at The Brandermill Church in Midlothian, Virginia—a role that allows me to live out the calling that's been woven into my DNA since childhood.

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I grew up in the Mid Ohio Valley where the church wasn't just a Sunday destination—it was family. My mother directed the choir, and my brother and I were gleefully underfoot at every service, absorbing the rhythms of faith and community.  My uncle too was an Episcopal priest and that early immersion taught me something essential: the church at its best practices radical hospitality. The kind my Lebanese great aunt embodied when she first placed communion wine in my hands with fierce tenderness, the kind that's embedded in my Arab heritage where strangers become honored guests and tables are never closed.

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During college, while studying History and Sociology, I was elected Christian Life Council Chaplain—creating worship experiences and becoming a listening presence for the spiritual journeys of the entire campus. My vocational path has taken me through diverse communities: in Youth and Fellowship ministries at First Presbyterian Church in Charleston, WV; with Youth and Family Ministries at Buffalo Presbyterian in Greensboro, NC; and DCE at Prospect Presbyterian Church in Mooresville, NC, where I was supported through seminary and where our daughter Amara was born in 2012.

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In Richmond, my ministry deepened at Grace Covenant Presbyterian and later at Three Chopt Presbyterian Church as Pastor and Head of Staff. My calling has always extended beyond sanctuary walls—partnering with Shalom Farms to bring healthy food to Richmond's urban communities and working with the Richmond Peace Education Center. Over the past six years, I've immersed myself in trauma healing and conflict resolution training, serving as a leader with the Richmond chapter of Coming to the Table and our presbytery's Dismantling Racism initiative. As well as finding a place with RISC, to effect real change in our larger metro communities. 

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My Arab heritage has profoundly shaped my pastoral philosophy. In Middle Eastern culture, hospitality isn't optional—it's sacred obligation. Tables overflow. Doors remain open. This is the radical hospitality I strive to embody: ministry that meets people wherever they are and insists that everyone belongs at God's table.

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For play, my mountain roots run deep. We garden, hike, camp, stargaze, and canoe whenever we can. I pick a banjo, play a guitar, Leah brings her artist's eye to everything we do, and Amara keeps us wonderfully busy with ice skating, kung fu, and her orchestral upright bass career. I'm excited to see how God will use this season of leadership to continue writing stories of transformation, reconciliation, and radical welcome.