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Meet the Staff
Rev. Laura Stratton
Senior Pastor
(540) 434-7747 ext. 201​
Laura Stratton grew up in Luray, VA, and graduated from Luray High School. She attended The College of William and Mary and graduated with a B.A. in Russian Studies. While at William and Mary, she was very involved with the Wesley Foundation, the United Methodist campus ministry, and she participated in worship services at the Greensville Correctional Center and supported their Kairos ministry. After graduation, she lived in Pyatigorsk, Russia for a year, working with the local United Methodist Church, volunteering at two orphanages and a boarding school for children with developmental disabilities, and studying at the local linguistic university. After returning to the United States, Laura moved to Northern Virginia and ended up working as a co-youth director and also a minister of music. In 2010, Laura recognized God’s call in her life to pastoral ministry, and she began the process to become an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. Laura graduated from Wesley Theological Seminary in 2013 and was immediately appointed to serve Page UMC. At the 2016 Annual Conference, she was ordained as an elder in full connection. From 2021-2026, she served the Southern Albemarle Charge. Laura is excited by this opportunity to now serve Otterbein UMC!
In her free time, Laura loves to read, crochet simple projects, and drink hot tea.
Laura’s favorite verse is John 13:34-35 - “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Melissa Miller
Office Manager
oumcadm@hotmail.com
(540) 434-7747 ext. 200
Melissa has been the Office Manager at Otterbein UMC since May 2010. She is a graduate of Bridgewater College and is an active member of Mt. Horeb UMC. In her free time, Melissa enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, building Lego sets, and working on craft projects.
Gary Edlind
Director of Vistation
“Visiting church members is a great job! I get to meet some of the sweetest people in the world!” As Director of Visitation, I visit church members in hospitals, nursing homes, retirement communities and some in their family homes. I always ask them how they are doing and pray for their health problems. I’ll read them a scripture and maybe sing a song and find how their family is doing. The goal is to tell them they are missed and prayed for and keep them plugged into the church.
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My career was 27 years as a mechanical engineer for the US Navy in Washington DC. When I retired, my wife and I moved to Harrisonburg to be where the grandkids were. There was a need for a visitation chaplain, and I wanted to be used of the Lord. I learned to be cheerful and encouraging to these sweet saints.
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There’s room for volunteers to visit home-members and enjoy this ministry. Contact me to visit someone periodically because the more-the-merrier!