Effective July 1st, 2024, Bishop Tracy Smith Malone appointed Rev. Preston Watkins to serve as our Pastor here at Grace United Methodist Church.  He comes to us after serving for five years as the pastor of Ashtabula First United Methodist Church.  He currently sits on the conference Board of Congregational Development and on the board of the Ohio United Methodist Community Development Collaborative.  He has also led a cohort for the conference on Fresh Expression Ministries.

Rev. Watkins Received his B.S in Youth and Family Ministry from Rochester Christian University in Rochester Hills, Michigan and his Masters of Divinity from The Methodist Theological School in Ohio in Delaware, Ohio. 

His gifts include teaching, visioning, and empowering the laity to tap into God’s holy imagination.  Simply put, ministry is understanding the people God has placed us into community with, loving them as God calls us to love, and using the graces, gifts, and talents bestowed on us by God’s spirit to rescue and reconcile the world to our God.

Pastor Preston and his wife Courtney live with their dog (Bolt) and two cats (Wesley and Ravioli).  They love Traveling, Watching Sports, and Playing Board Games.  They are also big foodies and Pastor Preston is on the hunt for the best eggroll in town. Pastor Preston’s office hours are