Greetings! My name is Chuck Shroll and I feel so blessed and excited to be called to partner with you all in ministry! I look forward to getting to know the church, community, and the unique mission and ministries of the church!
I wanted to offer a brief introduction to let you all get to know me a little! I was born in Northern Kentucky in 1975 to John and Edie Shroll. My father is a retired elder in the Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church, and my mother is a retired school teacher. I have three brothers, two sisters-in-law, three nephews, and three nieces. One of my brothers is an ordained elder in the Kentucky East District.
       I moved many times over the course of my childhood (my father was also a U.S. Naval Chaplain for eleven years). I have lived in Kentucky, Virginia, Rhode Island, Florida, Japan, Texas and Indiana before coming back to the state. I have also lived in South Carolina and Missouri for brief periods. In Kentucky, I have lived in Newport, Wilmore, Morehead, Burnside, Greenup, Flatwoods, Hindman and Campton. Most of my life has been in Eastern Kentucky where I have learned the value of family, community and heritage, as well as to love fishing, hiking, reading and UK basketball.
Before I graduated from Pulaski County High School, I joined the Army Reserve as a truck driver and then transferred to the Kentucky Army National Guard. During this time, I attended Morehead State University and earned a B.A. in English (1999) and a M.A. in Secondary Education (2009).
        For twelve years I was an English teacher (7^{th &} 12^th grades), coached soccer (leading the boys high school team to the State Sweet Sixteen) and coached the academic team (winning the State Governor's Cup in middle school). I worked in three different school districts during that time. I have never been married and have no children though I am still hopeful that God will supply both in His time.
Though I had great success as a teacher and coach, in 2009, I experienced a transformative time of renewal in my journey with God as I responded to His grace and love. I began to more fully understand and want His plan for my life. In 2011, after much prayer and discerning a call to full-time Christian ministry, I started my studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. I graduated with a Master of Divinity in 2015 with a 3.9 and was a member of Theta Phi Honor Society and served as a Teaching Assistant to Dr. Ken Collins.
           Also in 2011, I went on a short-term mission trip to Gulu, Uganda and worked with the Gulu District of the United Methodist Church. In 2012 and 2014, I led two short term mission trips back to Gulu and currently I am a board member on the Gulu Methodist Partnership, Inc.  This experience shaped and continues to shape me and my understanding on faith, mission and action.
       The past four years I have served at Campton UMC in Wolfe County. In that time, we have created several new programs and ministries relating to outreach and discipleship: After School Fuel, Campton Methodist Housing Youth, Fall Festivals, Campton Methodist Housing Picnics, Trunk or Treat, Live Nativity, Coffee and Grace, Parenting Under Pressure, new Sunday School classes, and recently some new ways of discipleship. Campton UMC owns HUD subsidized housing (built in the 70's and 80]s) with forty-eight family units and forty senior units. Before I came the church had no ministry presence but over the last several years we have fashioned a ministry that seeks transformation both spiritually and socioeconomically. Currently, the church is working on a plan for a community center for Campton Methodist Housing and a potential Fresh Expressions faith community there.
In the past couple of years, I have been involved with several district and/or conference teams and groups. I have served on the Kentucky East District New Church Development Team and Conflict Mediation Team. On the conference level, I serve on the Conflict Transformation Team, Good Samaritan Foundation and Vital Congregations Team. All of these are not only faithful aspects of living into our connectional polity, but each have been and continue to be great places for learning and applying lessons in my ministry, life and life of the church.
       My passion is to see transformation happen in, for and through Christians and the church as God's grace and love powerfully molds and sends us in to the world around us. My passions in ministry are creative-renewal, transformation, equipping leadership, discipleship, outreach, visioning, mission and loving people and the church. I am so excited to work beside you all at Covenant UMC to discern, follow and live into this great journey that God has for us! I am so excited about the call that God has placed on my life and the opportunity I have to participate in ministry with you in that calling. I will be praying for the church and this new transition and I would ask that you pray for me as well. Again, I am excited and humbled as I look forward to partnering with you and I anxiously anticipate what God will do through us as we see to grow in love and grace to fulfill the mission God has given us together —to love God, to love neighbor, to make disciples!
God bless!
Rev. Chuck Shroll
 

 

Cathy Rich Brock has been the Secretary / Office Manager at Covenant UMC since June 2006.

She was born in Pineville, KY and moved to Middlesboro when she was five.  She is a 1969 graduate of Middlesboro High School.  She is and has been involved in many activities including Kiwanis where she served as Secretary; the Middlesboro Alumni and Friends Association where she has served as Secretary and is President at this time, and she is on the board of the Middlesboro Independent Education Foundation.

She is married to Roy Brock.  They have three children:  Freddy Brock, Noel Marble & John Brock; four grandchildren:  Miranda Ridings, Peyton Brock, Nikki Horton & Trey Horton; and one great granddaughter, Amelia (Millie) Sagelynn Ridings.

Luke Gilly was born and raised in Big Stone Gap, VA and was a member of East Stone Gap UMC. He attended Powell Valley High School and later earned a BA in History/Social Science at Emory & Henry College. Luke completed his MA in Edu Administration at Lincoln Memorial University. He is currently a teacher at Middlesboro High School. Luke is married to Lauren and has two children Ike and Kaylynn. Luke has attended Covenant for 11 years, been a member for 10 years, and was hired as Youth Director in June of 2016.