An Endowment has been establish through the United Methodist Foundation in memory of Doug. Contributions may be made at any time through the church.

Doug Chesson, the man I knew for only 12 years, always had a passion for singing. Not just any music but that which glorified GOD. Doug never lost the peace that passes all understanding. He will be missed in the choir and in our hearts.
–Greg Forrester

Doug will be missed by his earthly family and friends. But, just think how happy his heavenly family and friends are now that he is with them. What a comfort.

Doug was a good example for us all. I was especially impressed with how he handled his own walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

Good for you, Doug. We’ll miss you, but you can bet we will never forget you.
–Dave Disch

When Dawn and I arrived from Texas, virtually penniless, homeless, and without even a written commitment for a job, one of the first things we did was scout out some churches. On our first Sunday in town, we decided to go to the first Methodist church we’d found on our interview trip to Goldsboro about a month before.

We arrived a bit late (as usual), found the nursery, and deposited Grace and Ben, and then found our way to the sanctuary. We enjoyed the service, and got a good feeling from the people around us. We liked the modern sanctuary, and the way it still seemed warm and even “homey.” Lots of folks smiled, and said “Hi,” but when Doug Chesson saw us, his face lit up, and he came right over and shook our hands and introduced himself, and then called Pastor Steve over and made sure we met him, too.

You know, we only went to one other church after that, and there wasn’t a Doug in the place. We came back to New Hope the third week, and talked it over that night. It was the image of Doug Chesson that was in my mind when we talked about how friendly the congregation had been, and how I felt that we’d found our way to a new spiritual home.

I’m very, VERY happy now that I took a few minutes while Doug was in the hospital and called him. We talked about some of this, and some of that, and I told him the story I’ve just told you, that the blame for having the Tacketts in the church lies firmly on his shoulders. He just laughed and said he was glad. Lord, thank you for letting me know Doug, if only for a little while. Please take care of him until we can meet again.
–Keith and Dawn Tackett

While at New Hope, Rhonda and I read a book titled “Lifestyle Evangelism.” It basically said to live your life the way Christ would expect you too — to live your life so others will see the love of Christ in you and your actions. Doug did just that and I thank him for being a model to me and so many others.
–Tom Wells