Rev. Charisse N. Woods Burrell

Pastor

Reverend Charisse Woods Burrell was born on December 30, 1977, the daughter of Sterling and Renée Woods in Orange, New Jersey.  She also has a younger brother.  At the age of 10, Reverend Burrell expressed her desire to be used by God for His service.  In December 1990, at the tender age of 12, she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior.  It was also in that same year that she received her call to the ministry.  At the age of 17, God confirmed her call to the ministry in the area of pastoral leadership.                      

By way of background, Reverend Burrell’s Christian training and experience is rooted in the Word of God.  In her youth, she was spiritually nurtured at both Ebenezer Baptist Church in Orange, NJ and Divinity Missionary Baptist Church in East Orange, NJ.  In April 2006, Reverend Burrell was ordained an Itinerant Deacon.  In April 2008 she was ordained an Itinerant Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.  Reverend Burrell recently served as a member of Union Bethel A.M.E. Church in Cecilton, MD where Rev. Rosalyn Crosby is pastor.  At Union Bethel she served in several capacities as: one of the Associate Pastors, Youth Pastor, Sunday School teacher, Youth Advisor and Church Musician.  On September 13, 2009 at the Illinois Annual Conference of the A.M.E. Church, Reverend Burrell was appointed the first female pastor of Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church in Lovejoy, Illinois.  In her short time of being pastor at Quinn Chapel: the youth have become more involved in ministry and worship services; the church has completed and launched a website; provided donations to assist other churches that were in financial distress as well as donation of food, clothes, shoes, toys and money to other Non-profit organizations; the church completed renovation on the Ladies and Mens restrooms, kitchen and fellowship hall; and the church purchased property adjacent to their current building.  Reverend Burrell also instituted: the Class Leaders Council which reaches out to members in the congregation and their families; the Seasoned Saints Ministry-a ministry for senior adults age 65 and older; and G.L.O.W. (God’s Ladies of Worth) ministry for young ladies ages 12-18.  Reverend Burrell serves as an instructor and Secretary for the Illinois Annual Conference Board of Examiners and the Assistant Coordinator for the Illinois Annual Conference Women in Ministry.

Reverend Burrell received her early education in Orange, New Jersey and Montclair, New Jersey.  She is a graduate of Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies.  She is also a graduate of the Community College of Baltimore County in Catonsville, Maryland with an Associates degree in Mortuary Science; and a graduate of Howard University School of Divinity with a Master of Divinity degree.  She is currently matriculating at Northcentral University working on her doctorate degree in Business Administration specializing in Organizational Leadership.

In Reverend Burrell’s professional life, she is a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer in Illinois, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC and Delaware.  She is the owner and president of: Charisse N. Woods Funeral Service and Omega Removal Service both businesses are located in Baltimore, Maryland.  Reverend Burrell is married to Rev. Devione D. Burrell of Lovejoy, IL. 

Reverend Burrell knows that with God’s anointing and the guidance of the Holy Spirit she can fulfill all that God has called her to do, for she believes,  “… to whom much is given, much is required!