Our Pastor

C. Ashley (Ash) Dotson

Ash Dotson began his career in the U. S. Air Force as a systems analyst. After the Air Force he entered civilian employment with Morton Thiokol (now Northrup Grumman) as a test engineer on rocket and satellite motors. Ash was the supervisor of test operations for the Elkton, Maryland plant when he felt a call to the vocation of full time ministry. After considerable prayer, he resigned from his position in aerospace.

Ash then went on staff as an assistant to the pastor at a local United Methodist Church and entered Eastern Seminary (now Palmer). He was licensed and appointed as an associate pastor while completing seminary. Once graduating with a Master of Divinity in 2003, he was appointed as senior pastor of Whatcoat UMC in Camden, Delaware. Ash served four different appointments in the Peninsula/Delaware and Susquehanna conferences over a 12 year period.

He then took some time to begin and complete a two year Spiritual Direction Training program with the Haden Institute at the Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Once completed his training, Ash accepted a call and transferred to the American Baptist Church where he served a church in Corning, New York.

In 2017 Ash’s wife, Mary (A UMC elder) accepted an appointment to the Desert Southwest Conference of the UMC. Ash resigned his position in New York and he and Mary moved west. Since that time Ash has had a small spiritual direction practice as well as extensive training in the enneagram to become an enneagram facilitator, and has begun training in clergy coaching. Mary, (Pastor of Green Valley UMC) and he enjoy the desert and the beach and all that goes along with that as well as hiking.