Our Pastor

Rev. R. Keith Simmons

In the wild and wonderful mountains of West Virginia, I came into this world on July 13th, 1952.  It was amazing to grow up in Elkins, West Virginia and to have the opportunity to enjoy the spectacular splendor of trout fishing among other outdoor activities. Boy Scouts played a big part of our family as Mom was first a Den Mother and later Dad was a Scoutmaster. I attained the rank of Eagle.  After graduation from High School, college was on the agenda as I first attended West Virginia University for a year and a half and then transferred to West Virginia Wesleyan College.  I graduated from there with a double major in Sociology and Christian Education.

During my college years, I also began a journey of my life as I met Ruth and we  married between our Junior and Senior years. During my senior year, my church membership was moved from the Presbyterian to the United Methodist church as I served my first appointment on a seven-point charge.

After college, we moved to Wilmore, Kentucky where I graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary in 1977. Education has always been important to me as I have done post-graduate work at The Theological School at Drew University focusing upon Spiritual Formation. By the way, Ruth graduated Wesleyan with a degree in Speech and Drama with a minor in English. She was a teacher prior to attending Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and graduating with a Masters of Divinity in 1988.

During my pastoral career, I have served churches in Clarksburg, Wheeling, Parkersburg, and Morgantown, West Virginia. One appointment was in the mountain village of Richwood where I could catch my limit of fish in the great Cranberry River before breakfast. For 4 years, Ruth and I served as Potomac Highlands Co- Superintendents in eastern West Virginia. This working relationship was designed by Bishop S. Clifton Ives primarily due to Ruth being diagnosed with Central Nervous System Lupus in 1995. Aggressive chemotherapy treatments eventually kicked the disease into remission. Therefore after Tom Bickerton was elected Bishop, I moved to Wheeling and superintended the Northern District while a healthier Ruth stayed in Romney, WV superintending the Potomac Highlands.  Cabinet meetings took on an entirely new meaning. 

In 2007, Ruth and I moved to her home conference, Western Pennsylvania. We returned to the District of Ruth’s youth since she grew up in the Rogersville United Methodist Church in Greene County.  Such a move provided closer proximity to Ruth’s widowed mother and my widower father who lives in Elkins, WV at age 86.  My mother entered her eternal rest in 1993. Ruth currently serves as pastor of the Avery United Methodist Church here in Washington.  We hope for times of cooperative ministries as the work of United Methodism and the cause of increasing God’s kingdom continue in this community.

Ruth and I have two adult children. Jennifer and her husband Steve and their brand new son, Keegan Alexander, live in Montgomery Village, Maryland. Yes, Ruth and I became grandparents on March 2, 2010 and we do have hundreds of pictures. Our youngest child Laura, resides and works in Arlington, Virginia. We are a legacy family at West Virginia Wesleyan College with both girls having graduated from that institution of higher learning. Jennifer also earned a Masters Degree from West Virginia University.