Clergy & Staff of GHTC

Brent serves as Priest-in -Charge. He was born and raised in the salty waters of Wilmington, North Carolina. Monica and Brent are blessed with four teenage children and a dog who helps in herding us together. His family enjoys being outdoors whether around the James in RVA, the mountains and the ocean. They also love to travel and engage in the Arts, whether in plays, touring museums and playing classical instruments. Brent graduated from the College of Charleston (1998) with a B.S. degree in Elementary Education. He taught fourth grade in Charlottesville, Virginia and Wilmington, North Carolina for three years. He then earned a Masters in Divinity (2005) and Doctor of Ministry in Preaching (2016) from The School of Theology in Sewanee, Tennessee. He has served churches in Fayetteville and Elizabeth City, NC and All Saints in Richmond, VA. He was a Episcopal School Chaplain in Charlotte before returning to the state made for “Lovers”. He is passionate about worship, ecumenical/interfaith and outreach initiatives, while both teaching and welcoming reside at his curious core. He finds so much joy at GHTC, especially in the Red Door Ministry and the PACE Center.

Phone: (804) 359-5628 x17

To email Brent, please choose Brent Melton as the recipient on the form on our Contact page.

I am delighted to accept the call as your new Assistant Priest and look forward to getting to know you all and all the great ministry happening at church this summer. I am a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and able to serve in the Episcopal Church through our churches’ close ecumenical relationship and agreements. I’m coming to you from Augsburg Fortress Publishers where I edited worship and preaching resources and before that from church planting with young adults. I look forward to translating the skills from those roles into the communications and outreach focuses of my work at GHTC. I also deeply look forward to serving alongside Father Brent in general priest duties and being integrally involved in parish life with you all.

I hold a Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance from St. Olaf College, a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and will be wrapping up a Graduate Certificate in Liturgy from St. John’s Seminary in the weeks before I begin work. On the personal side, I live in the Fulton neighborhood with my wife Maggie, our two dogs, Xander and Junebug, and our cat, Stella. My hope for this summer is that I get to connect with many of you for a cup of coffee and learn about you, your ministry areas, and what you love about GHTC. I look forward to meeting you! – The Rev. Marissa Sotos

Phone: (804) 359-5628 x16

To email Marissa, please choose Marissa Sotos as the recipient on the form on our Contact page.

In her 26 years as a priest, she has served parishes in Virginia, upstate New York and Connecticut. Jenny has her doctorate of ministry degree from Virginia Seminary in Ministry Development with a focus on unifying and strengthening parishes, particularly following trauma and conflict. Before retiring to Richmond in 2020, she was part of the Ignatian Spiritual Center at Fairfield University. In 2023 she became a clergy mentor.

Jenny is married to the Rev. Dr. Joe Glaze, also retired, who served American Baptist and UCC congregations in New York, Virginia, D.C. and Maryland. She has two sons plus four step-sons and two step-daughters. She is known affectionately as “Gigi” to her five grandchildren and eleven step-grands. In retirement Jenny enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends, baking cookies, walking their lab, Charlotte, writing creative non-fiction and reading a good novel.

To email Marissa, please choose The Rev. Jenny Montgomery as the recipient on the form on our Contact page.

Born and raised in Richmond, Steve graduated from Douglas Freeman HS, The University of Richmond and in 2021 from the Deacon School of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. He and his wife, Naomi, have a loving blended family with four children and seven grandchildren. He has had two careers: 25 years in the community newspaper business in Hanover County and 20 years as a realtor. As you come to know Steve, you will find that his spiritual journey has been a long one with a few discerning calls to ministry. Steve will be joining us 15 hours a week preaching, helping to lead worship, and sharing in pastoral care.

Phone: (804) 359-5628 x12

To email Steve, please choose Steve Pace as the recipient on the form on our Contact page.

Russ Kerr (last name, “car”) serves as the Student Development and Engagement Coordinator. He is an ordained P.C.(USA) teaching elder (minister). He has served congregations in North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. He is a graduate of Emory & Henry College and Union Presbyterian Seminary. His first degree (and love) was theatre. He is passionate about community building, storytelling, and unlocking creativity. On the weekends you can find him somewhere outdoors and/or with a good book in his hand.

Phone: (804) 658-4064

To email Russ, please choose Campus Ministry as the recipient on the form on our Contact page.

I am excited and grateful to be joining the Grace and Holy Trinity community as Director of Formation! I’ve spent the last three years in Durham, NC, working toward my Master of Divinity at Duke Divinity School and serving at Church of the Holy Family, where I teach Sunday school and sing with the choir. Praying with children and youth and hearing their reflections on Scripture are some of my favorite spiritual practices, and I’m eager to continue this work with the young people of Grace and Holy Trinity.

Phone: (804) 359-5628 x15

To email Madeleine, please choose Director of Formation as the recipient on the form on our Contact page.

Dr. Elizabeth Melcher Davis has served as the Choirmaster and Organist at Grace & Holy Trinity since 2003. Elizabeth received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music, where she studied organ with Russell Saunders, David Craighead, and David Higgs. As a student of Dr. John Weaver, Elizabeth received the Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School and the Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music as a full scholarship student.

Elizabeth directs the Parish Choir and plays the organ at the 10:30 a.m. worship services, supported by committed volunteers, professional section leaders, and the Assistant Choirmaster and Organist. Dr. Davis also plays the organ at other worship services throughout the year, for funerals, and for weddings. Elizabeth oversees the Children’s Choir and Youth Instrumental Ensemble which present music on Children and Youth Sundays at the 10:30 a.m. worship services and at other worship services such as the Christmas Pageant. Elizabeth organizes and coordinates a concert series which includes performances provided as outreach to our Richmond neighbors. Elizabeth enjoys bringing joy to people’s lives through God’s gift of music.

Phone: (804) 359-5628 x18

To email Beth, please choose Dr. Elizabeth Melcher Davis as the recipient on the form on our Contact page.

Luke Brennan is a recent graduate of Yale University with a Master of Music in Organ Performance, formerly in the studios of Carole Terry and James O’Donnell. During his studies at Yale, he served as Organ Scholar at Christ Church, New Haven, under the tutelage of Thomas Murray and Thomas Williford, and as choral accompanist for the Yale Repertory Chorus.

In addition, he is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, formerly in the studios of Anne Laver and Nathan Laube, with a Bachelor of Music (BM) in Organ Performance as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics (BA) from the University of Rochester. Prior to matriculating at Eastman, he studied under Christopher Betts, the current Director of Music at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church (Houston, Texas) and the former Organist for the Washington National Cathedral and Director of Music at the Church of the Redeemer (Bethesda, MD).

Luke has played solo works and provided organ accompaniment for choirs during tours of Europe, playing at venues such as the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Westminster Abbey, Die Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, Der Großer Saal Mozarteum Salzburg, and others. He has had the good fortune to work in masterclasses with artists including Matthias Maierhofer, Bruce Neswick, Isabelle Demers, Simon Johnson, Raul Prieto Ramirez, and others, and he is a winner of the 2019 RCYO Potomac Chapter and Mid- Atlantic Regional Competitions.

In his free time, he enjoys learning foreign languages, playing soccer, and is a huge Liverpool and ice hockey fan.

To email Luke, please visit ghtc.org/contact and select “Assistant Choirmaster & Organist” from the drop-down menu.

To learn more about Abigail, please read Abigail’s bio on our Music Ministry page.

To email Abigail, please choose Abigail Stinnett as the recipient on the form on our Contact page.

Tyler Storm Brady brings a wealth of hands-on experience to the church as a photographer, designer, and creative. His full-time work at GHTC involves branding & graphic design, e-communications, photo & video, print & social media, press management, and more.

Tyler is also an artist and photographer, sometimes instructing at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond.

Phone: (804) 359-5682 x25

To email Tyler, please choose Tyler Brady as the recipient on the form on our Contact page.

Lauren has held support roles throughout her professional career. Her sixteen year background in both public and private sectors has spanned transportation, commerce, and civil engineering. She enjoys balancing her extroverted ‘people person’ personality with quiet time painting, reading and doing crosswords. Lauren can also be found geocaching and bike riding on weekends with her son.

Phone: (804) 359-5628 x23

To email Lauren, please choose Lauren Frazier as the recipient on the form on our Contact page.

To email Barbara, please choose Barbara Hobson-Simpson as the recipient on the form on our Contact page.

“Dear Grace and Holy Trinity Community,

I am pleased to announce our new Financial Administrator, Mrs. Kathy Schultheis. Kathy joined our staff this week. When I had lunch recently with Kathy, I was delighted by her curiosity in asking great questions about the people and ministry at Grace and Holy Trinity. Kathy’s integrity and church understanding will be beneficial. Kathy has a proven track record as a skilled accountant with a passion for serving churches. In her own words, 

“Thank you for this opportunity to partner with you in the mission to which God has called us.  I am so excited to join the amazing staff of Grace & Holy Trinity and am looking forward to meeting many of you in the near future!”

Kathy was described by many as a wonderful human being with a great personality. Like Judy, Kathy is married to a clergy person, yet in the Lutheran tradition. Together with her husband they have three children out of the home and two fourth graders. We will be blessed to have another person aware of the unique intricacies of the church world. Kathy was gracious to start right away so she could shadow Judy in her last two weeks to learn. I am grateful for the leadership of Mike and Julie Joyce, Meredith McGuire, Chuck Bleick, and Harold Williams who all helped to find Kathy.   

As our Financial Administrator, she will be in the office on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday each week to perform payroll, pledges, income and expense reporting, and financial transactions. She will work closely with the Vestry, Finance Committee, Treasurer, the GHTC Endowment Board and me. She joins us at a perfect time to assist in the transition and the preparation of the annual operating budget.

Kathy is detail-oriented, organized, dependable, and has good listening skills. She follows the best practices of church finances as recommended by the Episcopal Church. A faithful person along with a calm personality she will bring continued stability and confidence with her financial skill set. Please join us in welcoming Kathy to our community. Blessings! 

In Peace, Brent

Phone: (804) 359-5628 x14

To email Kathy, please choose Kathy Schultheis as the recipient on the form on our Contact page.