Staff
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The Rev. Gregg Hoffman
Senior Pastor
Email: pastorgregg@gracerockhill.com
Pastor Gregg comes from Wheeling, West Virginia. He is a lifelong Lutheran, the denomination that empowered him to explore and grow in faith. During his high school years, he served as his home congregation’s organist. He studied Psychology at West Liberty University, and was an intern for the university’s Protestant Campus Ministry. Pr. Gregg attended Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC, where he met Pr. Rachel – they were married before starting their senior year. During seminary, he served as the Vicar at Lutheran Church of the Nativity in Arden, NC, and after graduation, he was called there as one of their pastors, with a focus on Worship, Pastoral Care, and Administration. In the fall of 2018, Grace Lutheran Church called Pr. Gregg and he began serving here in December of that year. Within the local community, he serves on the planning committee for Race and Reconciliation of Rock Hill, Rock Hill’s Community Healing Initiative, and Affirmation of York County. When he is not occupied with church work, Pr. Gregg enjoys spending time with Pr. Rachel, visiting local breweries, playing the organ (though his skills are a bit rusty), going on walks with their dogs, and exploring Rock Hill – the place that he and Pr. Rachel call home. He currently serves as the Dean of the Upstate Conference of the SC Synod, ELCA.
Pastor Gregg serves Grace Lutheran Church as its Senior Pastor. Working alongside the rest of the staff and the Congregation Council, he functions as the lead pastor for the following:
Worship and Music Committee
Nursery Committee
Property Committee
Finance Committee
Place of Grace Committee
Health and Wellness Committee
Public Relations Committee
Safety/Security Committee
New Member Committee
Bereavement Committee
WELCM Committee
Executive Committee
Personnel Committee
Head of Staff
The Rev. Rachel Hoffman
Pastor
Email: pastorrachel@gracerockhill.com
Pastor Rachel is originally from Simpsonville, SC, and was baptized, confirmed, married, and ordained all in the same Lutheran congregation. She earned a degree in Religion at Furman University and then pursued her graduate degree at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC. This is where she met Pr. Gregg, and they were married before starting their senior year. During seminary, she was the Vicar at All Saints Lutheran Church in Huntsville, AL. After seminary, she was called to Lutheran Church of the Nativity in Arden, NC, to serve as one of their pastors, responsible for leading Faith Formation, Youth, Outreach, Stewardship, and working closely with the congregation’s Preschool. In the fall of 2018, Grace Lutheran Church called Pr. Rachel and she began serving here in December of that year. Pr. Rachel enjoys exploring new places with Pr. Gregg, time at the beach, Harry Potter movie marathons, and great restaurants. In addition to all she does at Grace, Pr. Rachel also serves as a member of SC Synod Council.
Pastor Rachel serves Grace Lutheran Church as its Pastor. Working alongside the rest of the staff and the Congregation Council, she functions as the lead pastor for the following:
Learning Committee (includes Confirmation)
Youth & Family Committee (includes Grace Youth Ministry)
Stewardship Committee
Audit Committee
Technology Committee
Outreach Committee (includes several groups)
Parish Life Committee
Endowment Committee
Dr. Jeremy Mims
Director of Music Ministries
Email: music@gracerockhill.com
Dr. Jeremy Mims grew up in Texas and moved to Rock Hill in 2017 for a faculty position in the music department at Winthrop University, where he is the Director of Choral Activities. Jeremy earned his Doctorate in Musical Arts in Conducting at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music & Dance and has served as musical director, chorus master, and accompanist of shows for various professional, collegiate and local theatres and opera companies. A musician of multiple talents and diversity, Jeremy has appeared on national and international concert and opera stages as a conductor, collaborative pianist, violinist, and a tenor chorister. Under Jeremy’s leadership, the music program at Grace is thriving. Jeremy and his husband, Craig, live in Rock Hill.
Katherine Romero
Parish Administrator
Katherine has been working with us for the last 3 months through a staffing agency, and as of this month, she is officially on our staff! We are thrilled to have her as part of the Grace team!
Katherine is originally from California, grew up in El Salvador, and has been back in the US for 5 years.
She and her husband, Diego, and children Antonella and Diego, live in Fort Mill with their 2 cats, Gemini and Aries.
When she’s not at Grace, Katherine enjoys reading, eating, and spending time with her family.
If you’re in the building during office hours, be sure to stop by and introduce yourself to Katherine and welcome her to Grace!
To contact Katherine, call the office (803-324-5295) or email parishadmin@gracerockhill.com
The Rev. Dr. Norbert Hahn
Campus Minister for Winthrop Ecumenical Lutheran Campus Ministry (WELCM)
Email: cm@welcm.org
Pastor Hahn, as he likes to be called, was born and raised in what formerly was West Germany. His educational journey began in Germany where he earned a B.S. equivalent in Physics and German Literature and a Master of Theology equivalent. He continued his education at Harvard University where he earned a Master of Divinity and Emory University where he completed a Ph.D. in Theology and Psychology. His dissertation focused on how congregations foster or inhibit the faith development of their members and friends.
While at Harvard University, he fell in love with the Lutheran Church in America and felt God’s call to ordained ministry in the LCA, a predecessor body of the ELCA. Since his ordination he has served congregations in Georgia, North Carolina, and, most recently, Pennsylvania. His ministry included campus ministry at three different universities, developing German-speaking congregations in Atlanta and Charlotte, serving two tours as Conference Dean in Northeast Philadelphia as well as two terms as president of an international network of German-speaking congregations. Before coming to Grace and WELCM he spent three months on a mission trip in Germany. In a previous chapter of his ministry, Pastor Hahn was trained and served as a church growth consultant.
For a while, he kept one foot in academia through teaching, publishing, and translations of academic works both from German into English and from English into German. His field of studies in graduate school was Faith Development where he worked with the pioneer of that field, the late Prof. James Fowler.
Although trained as an amateur church musician on the French horn, he eventually learned to play electric guitar and bass which led to his founding of Christian worship bands, mostly with other Lutheran pastors. After he has rebuilt the calluses on his fingers, he is willing to play guitar for the campus ministry, if necessary.
Pastor Hahn is married to Lyn who grew up in Rock Hill and his happy to return to the South. Together they enjoy gardening, taking walks, cooking, and repairing and updating the house of Lyn’s late mother where they now reside. They serve as staff to two cats, Lulu and Inky Poe.
Pastor Hahn can be reached at CM@WELCM.org and 704.425-2614.
Grace's Congregation Council
At Grace, the Congregation Council is made up of 12 members of the congregation, in addition to the pastors.
Members (year current term expires)
President - Lori Brown (2023)
Vice President - Jeff Ranges (2024)
Secretary - Theresa Miller (2023)
Justin Anderson (2025)
Bob Goodbar (2024)
Carla Harrison (2024)
Ron Hartman (2025)
Mary Hinson (2024)
Irene Pointon (2025)
Traci Quinn (2025)
Kathy Schwandt (2023)
Melissa Tucker (2023)
Pastor Gregg Hoffman
Pastor Rachel Hoffman
In addition to the Council positions listed above, Grace also has four officers with financial roles:
Treasurer: Ruth Wasserman
Assistant Treasurer: vacant
Financial Secretary: Bob Stonebraker
Assistant Financial Secretary: Karen Harris
Church History
Grace Lutheran Church was founded in 1923 to serve Lutheran students at Winthrop College. The gray stone church on Oakland Avenue cost $38,000 to build and opened its door on May 2, 1926. The first pastor was H.A. Schroder. For two decades, Winthrop students and local community members each made up half the congregation. The congregation acquired a parsonage in 1954 and later purchased a house adjacent to the church. In 1955, the congregation painted the doors red to symbolize "Blood of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit." The red doors continued to be a landmark for the town and a welcome to all those who wished to worship within. In 1963, the year Grace Church celebrated its 40th anniversary, there were 238 baptized members and 158 confirmed members. Extensive exterior and interior renovations were done in 1968. The congregation installed a Zimmer pipe organ in 1975 and purchased more surrounding property in 1979. In 1987, a second Sunday morning service was added, a handicap ramp was installed, and handbells were purchased for the music program. In 1989 property for increased parking was purchased, and in 1998 the house behind the church on Aiken Avenue was given to the congregation. Known as the "White House," it currently serves as our campus ministry center. During the 2002 renovations, the church's original sanctuary, seating 230 people, was enhanced with a new chancel arrangement and a magnificent pipe organ. At that time 14,000 square feet of new space, including a fellowship hall, was added to the existing building. In 2013 the congregation purchased "A Place of Grace," an adjacent building that now houses a variety of local non-profit agencies.
Detailed church history from 1923 to 1998 is available here. (Written by Naomi Bridges and Martha Seigler) For additional information, consult History Matters, Congregational Histories 1824-2017, published by the South Carolina Synod in 2017.
Pastoral Leadership
H.A. Schroder, 1923-31
C.B. Caughman, 1931-33
J.W. Roof, 1934-38
H.S. Petrea, 1938-54
Everett Lineberger, 1954-58
C.J. Shealy, Jr., 1959-69
John Ebenezer Boyd, Jr. 1970-75
Hollis A. Miller, 1976-81
Rufus E. Lybrand, Jr., 1982-88
Guy Shealy, Interim, 1988
William Cobb, 1989-90
Carveth Mitchell, Interim, 1990
A. Glenn Boland, 1991-95
Gary Lyerly, Interim, 1996
E. Ray Mohrmann, 1996-2010
Linda Anderson, Interim, 2010-2011
Christine Stoxen, 2011-17
David Ludwig, 2013-2015
Rebecca Lord-Phillips, 2015-2018
Ken Gillikin, Interim, August 2017-August 2018
Scottie Burkhalter, Interim, September-December, 2018
Gregg Hoffman, December 2018 to present
Rachel Hoffman, December 2018 to present