New Capitol Area South District Superintendent - Rev. Kathy Brown

Below is a letter from Bishop Palmer regarding the recent announcement that Rev. Kathy Brown will be our new District Superintendent of the Capitol Area South District effective July 1st. Recently, our present District Superintendent, Rev. Barb Sholis was appointed to serve as the Assistant to the Bishop effective the same date.

Rev. Barb Sholis will be preaching this Sunday, April 21 at our church. It will be a time for us to thank Barb for her service to our district and offer her our support and blessings in this time of transition in her life.

April 15, 2013

Dear Beloved in the Risen Christ,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Rev. Kathleen Brown to serve as the West Ohio Conference Superintendent for the Capitol Area South District, effective July 1, 2013. Rev. Brown will follow Rev. Barbara Sholis, who will begin a new appointment as Assistant to the Bishop in July.

Rev. Brown is currently serving as the Assistant to the Superintendent of the Maumee Watershed District in Northwest Ohio. Previously she held positions within local church leadership, as an appointed Pastor and as Chair of both the Miami Valley District Committee on Ordained Ministry and the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry.

Kathy first heard the call to ministry while serving as secretary at her home church, what is now Crossroads United Methodist Church in the Hilltop area of Columbus. Following that call has allowed her to witness firsthand the transformative power of God in her own life and in others. Her breadth of experience at all levels of local church leadership, district leadership and conference leadership shows a unique preparedness for this new role as a conference superintendent.

Kathy received a B.A. from Otterbein College in 1989 and an M.Div from Methodist Theological School in Ohio in 1993, where she was an Alford Scholar. She was ordained an Elder in the West Ohio Conference in 1995 and served as Associate Pastor at Reynoldsburg United Methodist Church, Pastor at Concord United Methodist Church in Englewood, and Pastor at Belmont United Methodist Church in Dayton. Through all of her appointments and service, Rev. Brown has shown an emphasis on relationships and connection, and her desire to work as part of a team will be an enormous asset.

As Superintendent, Rev. Brown will have spiritual and administrative oversight for 123 congregations and numerous mission sites and projects. She will also become a member of the Bishop’s Cabinet, assisting in the appointment of all pastors in the West Ohio Conference and the leadership of the entire conference. Kathy has shown an impressive caring and experiential understanding of the role of clergy leadership and the power of call in the local church, as well as a depth of faith and commitment to serving Jesus Christ through The United Methodist Church in West Ohio.

Kathy is married to Charles and together they have three grown children and six grandchildren. Their daughter, Amy Wood, is also an ordained elder in the West Ohio Conference, serving as an Associate Pastor at New Albany United Methodist Church.

As Rev. Brown and her family prepare to transition to this new role of service in July, I ask that you be in prayer for Kathy and for all of our leadership as we serve together in our shared mission and ministry of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Your servant through the Risen Christ,

Gregory V. Palmer
Resident Bishop