It is with great joy that I announce our new Executive Director of Connectional Ministries: Erin Hawkins will be taking this position in September after serving 12 years as the General Secretary of the General Commission of Religion and Race (GCORR). Being raised in Los Angeles, Erin is returning back to work directly with her home annual conference. She brings such a wealth of knowledge, skill sets and abilities, and I believe she will lead our annual conference into a new and exciting future. Erin has already starting working with us in the pre-planning stage with Connectional Ministries. Please pray for Erin as she wraps up her work with GCORR and makes the transition of returning to our annual conference.

Here is her more formal resume:

Ms. Hawkins comes to us after having served as the General Secretary of the General Commission on Religion and Race of The United Methodist Church since 2007, an agency historically charged with leading our Church’s efforts to be fully inclusive of the participation of racial ethnic persons in its life and work, and challenging the Church and society when racism rears its destructive head. Under her leadership, she has transitioned the agency from a monitoring agency to one that assists the Church in becoming more culturally competent as it seeks to be contextually relevant in its commitment to reach more people, younger people, and more diverse people in the making of disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

As General Secretary, Ms. Hawkins led the restructuring of GCORR and the development of GCORR’s current ministry model of Vital Conversations, Intercultural Competency, and Institutional Equity.  Prior to serving as General Secretary, Ms. Hawkins was the Assistant General Secretary of GCORR during which time she led the development of GCORR’s first strategic plan, served as the GCORR representative to the General Council on Ministries’ Ethnic Local Church Concerns Committee, as well as the primary staff person responsible for creating GCORR’s Woodie White Endowment Fund.

Ms. Hawkins earned a Master of Science in Organizational Development from American University (Washington D.C.), a Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University (Bloomington, IN), and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of California, Riverside (Riverside, CA). She will continue her education in a Ph.D. program when returning to Los Angeles.

During her time at the helm of GCORR, she was a transformative force in the life of the entire United Methodist Church. Most recently, she served as the Chairperson of the General Agencies executives, guiding the work for the whole denomination.

Let us all welcome Erin onto our staff and upon her return home!  

Be the Hope,

Bishop Grant J. Hagiya
Los Angeles Area Resident Bishop