Pastor
Rev. Heather Rodrigues has been in pastoral ministry in the United Methodist Church for over 15 years. After graduating from Duke Divinity in 2009, she was appointed as the associate pastor of Millbrook UMC in Raleigh, where she served for 7 years, before being appointed as the Lead Pastor of Duke Memorial UMC in 2014. In July 2026, she was appointed to Pleasant Grove!
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Her call to ministry came through her work as a youth minister at Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church and from her years of service and leadership in her home church, Harrisonburg Mennonite Church, in Virginia.
Heather has two children, Eli and Sarah. Eli graduated from NC State and begins work on a graduate degree in Material Science in Engineering. Sarah graduated from Durham School of the Arts and will attend Vanderbilt.
Director of Worship Arts
Chris has been the Director of Worship Arts at Pleasant Grove since May 2013. He is a native of Bluefield, West Virginia, and has been living in the Raleigh area since 2008. Chris received his undergraduate degree from West Virginia University and his graduate degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Chris has been involved with many local community music ensembles, including the Duke Medicine Orchestra, Triangle Wind Ensemble, Triangle Gay Men’s Chorus, and the City of Oaks Brass Quintet. Chris also teaches piano lessons and is involved with the Raleigh Piano Teachers Association.
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In his spare time, you’ll find Chris hiking and running neighborhood trails, watching movies, and reading at any number of local coffee shops. His cats, Goomba and Artemis, keep him from sleeping in on his days off.
Director of Children & Youth Ministries
Ashley began as the Volunteer Administrator at Pleasant Grove in October 2014, transitioned into Director of Connecting Ministries in October 2016, and in July 2022 embarked on her new journey as Director of Children & Youth Ministries. A native of Raleigh, Ashley has a B.S.B.A. in Business Management with a minor in Religious Studies from UNC-Charlotte, a Masters in Christian Practice from Duke Divinity School, and spent a year in Louisiana with the Episcopal Service Corps. As hard as she tried to break away from her family's tradition as educators, she couldn't dismiss her love of nurturing young minds!
Volunteer Coordinator
Deborah began as our Volunteer Coordinator in October 2022. She has been a member at PGUMC for many years and has served our church in a variety of ways as a volunteer, most recently as Lay Leader. Deborah brings not only her knowledge of PGUMC but also extensive managerial experience to her role at Pleasant Grove. Deborah was commissioned as a Certified Lay Minister in June 2023.
Accompianist
Jill officially began as the Accompanist at Pleasant Grove on July 1, 2013. She grew up in Cary, NC and currently resides in Durham. She graduated with her bachelor and master degrees in music education from UNC-Greensboro. Jill served as the interim music director from January 2013 until Chris Dodson began in May 2013. Jill is also the chorus teacher at Riverside High School in Durham. Jill and her husband Mark have a daughter, Josephine (Joey) Renee, one dog, Lillian Virginia, and a cat, Heathcliff. She loves going to the beach, reading and going to concerts. She is an avid fan of DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center) and the Duke Blue Devils!
Office Administrator
Julie has been the Office Administrator at Pleasant Grove since March 2005. She is a native of Durham, NC and a graduate of Elon University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She is married to Stephen Lebria and they have two grown children, Gordon & Elizabeth. Julie enjoys hiking, listening to music, reading, yoga, UNC basketball, and spending time with her family.