The Rev. Annie Arnoldy and Rev. Jeff Rainwater are excited to welcome Geoffrey Gross (he, him, his) as the new intern for Congregational Vitality and Leadership for the Mountain Sky Conference, effective September 2020.
As the intern for Congregational Vitality and Leadership, Geoff will focus on church-size theory and the development of small group curriculum.
He said, “I have a passion for parish ministry, especially working with small, family-size churches in helping them understand their calling and mission in their communities. I understand the challenges and joys these churches face and the vital role they play within the denomination. I am so excited to be partnering with the Mountain Sky Conference in my role as the Intern for Congregational Vitality and Leadership and look forward to worshiping virtually with many churches in the Conference.”
Rev. Arnoldy said, "Geoff has served churches for many years as a Licensed Local Pastor, and is now pursuing a Master's of Divinity degree at Iliff School of Theology through the Journey program. After he gets to know our conference through his involvement with congregational vitality, Geoff will design and lead a small-group curriculum in early 2021 as part of the MSC leadership development area."
Rev. Rainwater added, “It is a delight to have Geoff as part of our vitality and leadership teams. I look forward to working with Geoff on resources centered around church-size theory and what makes any size church vital. This partnership shows that now, more than ever, geography is not a limiting factor in our work.”
Geoff can be reached at
ggross@mtnskyumc.org.
About Geoff:
Geoff is a native of Maine and a lifelong member of The United Methodist Church. He experienced a call to ministry as a pre-teen at the same time he was understanding himself as a gay man. Although the church where Geoff grew up recognized his call to ministry and the gifts he would bring to The United Methodist Church, he would spend years denying this call due to the denomination’s stance on gay clergy. However, beginning in 2002, Geoff was called by the New England Annual Conference to serve two churches in Maine: Bethel and Wester Cumberland UMCs for a combined 14 years. During his ministry, Geoff was licensed as a Local Pastor and later became a certified elder candidate through the New England Annual Conference.
In 2016, Geoff moved to Florida due to his husband’s job transfer. Geoff is currently in his third year at the Iliff School of Theology in their Master's of Divinity program. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social and Behavioral Science, a Master’s Degree in Business and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. He works for a nonprofit social services agency in Daytona Beach, Florida as the director of their outpatient addiction services program. Geoff has been married to his husband Brian for seven years and they current live in Palm Coast, FL with their fur daughter, Sapphire. In their spare time, Geoff and Brian enjoy traveling, cruising, and searching for antiques.
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