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Bob Gochenour - Pastor Cell: 757-810-7889
Pastor's email address: bobgochenour@vaumc.org
The Rev. Bob Gochenour was born in Norfolk, VA while his father served in the US Navy. He was raised in the Methodist Church all of his life. Bob felt God’s call into the ministry when he was 15. He attended Oral Roberts University for both his undergraduate degree in 1980 (BA in New Testament Greek) and graduate degree in 1985 (Master of Divinity/MDiv). He started his ministry in the Virginia Annual Conference in 1985. He was ordained elder in 1988 and has been serving churches in the Virginia Annual Conference for 38 years.
Bob and his wife Kathy met on a college mission trip to Mexico. They celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary May 7th. Kathy graduated from Duke Seminary in 1993 and was ordained elder in 1995. She has been serving churches in the Virginia Conference for 30 years. She recently retired from the Virginia Annual Conference but still serves part-time at the Shady Grove/Olivet Charge in Spotsylvania County.
Bob and Kathy have 2 grown children. Marie graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 2008 with a BA in Christian Education. She lives with them in Spotsylvania County. Tim graduated from Randolph-Macon College in 2009 with a BA in drama and earned a MDiv at Wesley Theological Seminary in 2014. He and his wife Jessie have a 6-year old son named Aidan. We are pleased to live closer to our grandson (and his parents!) who live in Leesburg, VA.
Bob is excited about ministry. He loves to preach and teach. He is invested in building disciples of Jesus Christ. Bob continues to be involved in mission outreach. He has attended Volunteers in Mission teams to Russia, Brazil, and Kenya, and Haiti. He has also served as adult staff for a Voices of Youth mission trip to Tennessee; a Hurricane Katrina recovery trip to D’Iberville, Mississippi; two Hurricane Relief trips to Manteo, NC, two clean-up trips to Matthews/Gloucester Counties for Hurricane Isabel; and two trips to Franklin, VA for flood recovery.
