Rev Kenneth Thrasher

It is indeed an honor for me to be Prospect's Pastor - and in my 13th year! My family includes my high school sweetheart, wife and partner, Jan, who is a practicing Physical Therapist, and sons Jeremy (Chrystal), Daniel (Nikki), and Joshua. Jeremy and Crystal are parents to our grandchildren, Amaya and Keenen.

We are from upstate New York and still have family and friends there. We visit as often as possible. We chose to move south in 1995.

I completed my Course of Study at Duke Divinity School in 1999 and was subsequently appointed to churches in the Brunswick Charge (Edgerton, Pleasant Grove, and Pelham) that led me to Prospect in 2007.

If you need my services or someone to talk to, I am easy to reach via either email (kthrasher0253@gmail.com, kenthrasher@vaumc.org) or by calling the Parsonage at 434-636-4058. If urgent, call my cell at 434-955-0253.

The following are excerpts from this article: "Responsibilities and Duties of a United Methodist Pastor".

Pastoral Role At a Glance

To embody the teachings of Jesus in servant ministries and servant leadership.
To give diligent pastoral leadership on ordering the life of the congregation for discipleship in the world.
To build the body of Christ as a caring and giving community, extending the ministry of Christ to the world.
To participate in community, ecumenical and inter-religious concerns and encourage the people to become so involved and to pray and labor for the unity of the Christian Community.

Pastoral and Leadership Responsibilities

Noted responsibilities and duties (subset from the article) are highlighted below. To accomplish a number of these the Pastor depends on the support of church leadership, committees, volunteers, Lay Leaders, and Lay Servants.

Preaching the word of God, leading in worship, reading and teaching the Scriptures, and engaging others in study and witness
Administering the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper -- and their meaning in life
Accepting those who profess their faith into the church membership
Performing funerals, burials, and memorial services
Performing marriages including pre-marriage counseling
Counseling persons with personal, ethical, or spiritual struggles
Visiting in the homes of the church and community, especially among the sick, aged, and others in need -- including hospital visits and transportation for medical appointments when needed
In a leadership capacity, being the administrative officer of the church and to assure that the organizational concerns of the congregation are adequately provided for: equipping vital leadership, lay ministry, and congregations, ministry strategies and delivery, vision and strategy for the church as a whole, administration of the day-to-day affairs on the church and provisions in the Book of Discipline, and fulfill responsibilities to the District, Conference, and the connectional system as a whole