I was delighted to meet Rev. Kotosha Griffin and her husband Bertrand this morning to welcome them to the Marlin family. Rev. Griffin will become the new pastor of Heritage UMC while also serving as VWU's chaplain. Her arrival begins an exciting new chapter of fellowship and service between our neighboring institutions.
Rev. Griffin joins Heritage United Methodist Church as its pastor and VWU as our chaplain from McGaheysville United Methodist Church in the Shenandoah Valley. Her husband Bertrand (also pictured) is also a minister and will serve as the pastor of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Norfolk. He previously served on Bishop Sharma D. Lewis’s staff at Wesley Chapel UMC in the North Georgia Conference.
Through the leadership of Bishop Lewis, Rev. Griffin is enhancing her leadership capacity by participating in a cohort offered by Mosaix. This cohort helps leaders to establish healthy multiethnic and economically diverse, culturally intelligent, socially just, and financially sustainable churches to express God’s love to all people.
Rev. Griffin is an ordained elder in the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/Pre-Law at Barber-Scotia College. She received a Master of Divinity at Wesley Theological Seminary.
Bishop Lewis commented that VWU “will be blessed by Kotosha and Bertrand,” and we are thrilled to welcome the Griffins to the Marlin family. We look forward to a fruitful partnership between VWU and Heritage UMC.
Once again, I thank Bishop Lewis, District Superintendent Wayne Snead and Don Ziegler, Chair of the Board of Directors at Heritage UMC, for their assistance in making this “win-win” collaboration possible.
