New pastor set to start at Heritage Presbyterian Church

Rev. Dr. Robert C. Erickson

Rev. Dr. Robert C. Erickson is set to begin as the new pastor of Heritage Presbyterian Church in the Fort Hunt area.

Erickson will hold his first service this Sunday at 10 a.m. at Heritage, which is located at 8503 Fort Hunt Road. A jazz musical program will follow the service.

Erickson has more than 30 years of experience and has served in churches in Philadelphia, Texas, Kansas and — most recently — Jefferson City, Missouri. He has also done mission work in Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Honduras, Malawi, Nepal, Hungary and several areas in the United States, according to Heritage’s website.

Erickson is a graduate of Dartmouth College, and earned an MBA in Finance from George Washington University. He worked as an energy consultant in Washington D.C.,  and then went on to earn his Masters in Divinity from Princeton Seminary in 1986. He received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Princeton Seminary in 1996.

Heritage, founded in 1961, focuses its efforts on hunger, homelessness and education, and is a member of Ventures in Community, a faith-based organization that serves southeast Fairfax County. Erickson is the eighth pastor in the church’s 57-year history, and replaces interim pastor Rev. Diane Hutchins, who has served in that role since 2015.