Pastor Grace Imathiu

Rev. Grace Imathiu was appointed pastor of Napa United Methodist Church in California on July 1, 2026. She has served congregations in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Kenya.

Grace loves people and has a passion and gift for inspiring and nurturing communities of faith to live out loud the prophetic story of Jesus. For Grace, the quintessential expression of the presence of the resurrected Christ is a community whose very DNA is radical hospitality, hospitality that creates a loving and healthy tension across ideological, theological, racial, ethnic, and cultural differences.

For Rev. Imathiu, the world is her parish. She is deeply committed to advocating for the inclusion and dignity of all people. All means All. She has preached in Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Togo, Liberia, Denmark, Australia, Malaysia, Brazil, and throughout the United States.

Grace earned a B.Sc. from West Virginia Wesleyan College, attended seminary at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and Vanderbilt University. She is a founding member of the Kenya Methodist University and author of two books.

Grace is widowed and the mother of one adult child. She is a storyteller who loves poetry, listening, and is an avid “Packer Backer.”