The Rev Chance Martinez

Pastor

Pastor Chance (or PC as he is often called) was called to serve Grace as her Pastor and Teacher in 2024. Both Grace UCC and the City of Frederick have made Chance and his husband feel right at home since moving here. 

PC earned his Master of Divinity degree from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and he is currently working toward his Doctor of Ministry degree from there as well. He is passionate about sharing the good news of Jesus with everyone and he is focused in liberation theology. Having grown up in a very fundamentalist denomination, and serving as a pastor in that denomination for many years prior to coming out, PC understands the harm that toxic theology can cause and he continues on a journey of deconstructing the toxic theology he was taught in the past and lives by the motto "always growing while never becoming fully grown" when it comes to faith, theology, and spirtuality. 

While he was called to serve Grace UCC, PC also understands the importance of being an active member of the community where he lives and serves. It is because of that belief that he is a member of the Frederick County DSS Advisory Board and the Board of Directors for Advocates for the Homeless. He also serves the wider church by being a member of the Board of Directors for the UCC Mental Health Network and the Central Atlantic Conference. 

If you would like to connect with PC, please send him an email at pastorchance.graceucc@gmail.com 

 

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Nathan Strite

Minister of Music and Organist

 

Nathan Strite completed an undergraduate degree in Organ Performance at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, where he studied organ with Mark King, piano with Dr. Yu-Hsuan Liao, and choral conducting with Dr. Rachel Carlson.

As a church musician, Nathan served various churches in the Hagerstown area before coming to Grace UCC in Frederick. Mr. Strite has also worked as a choral accompanist and has accompanied Hagerstown Choral Arts and various other choral groups while at Shepherd University.

As a performer, Nathan has participated in recitals given by the Cumberland Valley chapter of the American Guild of Organists and has performed numerous times in the Annual Bach Festival held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hagerstown. He also performed the dedicatory organ recital for the installation of the Trompette en Chamade at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Hagerstown, MD. Currently, he presents his own recitals that include a broad variety of music. These are often in conjunction with his partner and fellow musician William Miller, a clarinetist and multi-instrumentalist.

 

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Tricia Baptiste

Administrative Assistant

 

Tricia handles the day-to-day running of the church office.  She is responsible for creating the worship bulletins, weekly email blast, monthly newsletters, answering the telephone and email, keeping the church files in order, and updating the membership database.  She handles the scheduling of all meetings and events on the church calendar, provides secretarial support to the Pastor and the Church Council, and acts as the webmaster for Grace's website.  She also serves as the church's financial secretary and bookkeeper.

 

Regular office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

 

Kaden Hansen

Custodian

 

Our Caretaker works 3 days a week making sure the building is in good working condition.  He cleans up after worship, fellowship events, weddings, and funerals, and does many odd jobs around the church.