All rights reserved. California-Pacific Conference, 2024.
When Ruby-Nell Estrella went to college, the last thing on her mind was ministry. She was trained and graduated as an accountant. Yet, she did not love the jobs following her training. She quit and opted to volunteer to serve as the secretary of her
At age nine, Lanette Plambeck was hospitalized for six weeks with the H2N2 flu virus. While she was in the hospital, she woke up with the assurance that God had a plan for her to be a storyteller. Her first part-time appointment as a pastor
March 27, 2023 “Hollering for Change” is beginning a new series highlighting Black women “firsts” across the denomination. The first interview is with newly elected Bishop Dee Williamston of the Louisiana Conference, the first Black woman elected to the episcopacy in the South Central Jurisdiction.
There are two primary driving forces for Bishop Connie Shelton: being herself and keeping the rhythms that sustain her. Being herself is “incredibly liberating,” Shelton noted, commenting that she does not have to try harder if she just leans into her own being. Additionally, there
With women in leadership all around her, Laura Merrill never thought that she could be limited in being a pastor. She is a fourth-generation first-born woman. Her mother worked outside the home, despite the culture of the time. With the noted superpower of helping, Merrill
The biggest driving force for Robin Dease in pastoral ministry is to make change. Her call to ministry story is one that shows tenacious work ethic and the highest of standards. Before she was appointed as a district superintendent, Dease needed to believe that she
When she was serving as a district superintendent in the Michigan Conference, one of Kennetha Bigham-Tsai’s pastors asked her to be a part of their baptisms happening in a park. Dressed distinctively in a long African dress and ready for a day of events around
As a child, the world of service to others surrounded Dottie Escobedo-Frank. The daughter of missionary parents always felt a call to serve while watching her parents, but then and repeatedly in life kept refusing it or setting it aside. She experienced what she termed
Delores Williamston will tell you that she has always known, deeply, that she was called to something, even as a young person, and even if she couldn’t pinpoint it. The call never quieted. When she returned to the church as an adult, wishing to have
March 24, 2021 Black clergywomen are pioneers of The United Methodist Church who have answered the call to make disciples for the transformation of the world. They have had a positive impact on churches and communities, with spiritual, numerical and financial growth occurring under their
