Rev. Elder Darlene C. GarnerClerk of UFMCC Board of Elders
FemmeNoir
A Web Portal For Lesbians Of Color
Rev. Elder Darlene C. GarnerBorn and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Darlene
Garner celebrates herself as a Lesbian Christian woman of
African, Cherokee, and Irish ancestry. She was baptized in the
National Baptist Church at the age of 7 and joined the Episcopal
Church as a young adult. She came out as a lesbian in 1973,
joined MCC of Washington, DC in 1976, and served the local
church as Treasurer and Alternate Lay Delegate, the mid-Atlantic
District as Assistant District Coordinator, and UFMCC as a
member of Executive Committee of the former Department of People
of Color and the Elders Task Force on Structures and Systems.
Rev. Garner received her clergy credentials in 1988. She has
served as Associate Pastor of MCC in Philadelphi, PA; Pastor of
MCC in Baltimore, MD; and Senior Pastor of MCC of Northern
Virginia from 1991-1998.
In
1993, Garner was elected to Board of Elders. She has served as
Liaison Elder to the Australian, European, Northeast, and
Northwest Districts; has made many local church visits; and has
consulted with District Committees. In April 1988, she convened
the first national conference for African American leaders in
UFMCC. Since January 1999, Garner has been serving UFMCC as
full-time Clerk of the Board of Elders. Her areas of
responsibility include oversight of legal and risk management
issues, corporate affairs and governance, and development of
diversity policies; managing the processes of General
Conference, General Council, and the Board of Elders; and
serving as a member of UFMCC Board of Pensions (USA), the
Corporate and Legal Team of General Council, the UFMCC/MCC-LA
Joint Ownership Policies Committee, and the Elders Task Force on
Education. She also serves as Convenor of the biennial UFMCC
African-American Leandership Conference.
Before
entering the professional ministry, Rev. Garner worked as a
legal secretary, office manager, and Girl Scout Executive. She
also worked as the Executive Director of the Philadelphia
Mayor's Commission on Sexual Minorities, functioning as the
liaison between the government of the sixth largest city in the
United States and its Lesbian, Transgender, Bisexual and Gay
community. She also served as a member of the Philadelphia
Commission on Human Relations, hearing complaints of
discrimination based on sexual orientation, race, gender, and
national origin.
Garner's community involvement has included being a founding
co-chair of the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays;
being part of the historical first meeting between the U.S.
White House and gay and lesbian people of color; chairing the
first International Conference for Gay and Lesbian People of
Color; serving as chaplain for an AIDS hospice; serving on the
Board of Directors for a health clinic; and President of the
Board of Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry.
When asked about her vision for the future, Garner says, "I see
the day when all people will know ourselves and embrace one
another in our diversities (theological, spiritual, racial,
cultural, economic, gender identification, sexual orientation,
age, and physical and mental ability). If we each do our part,
one day all people will be free to be the unique and God-gifted
people we are created to be".
Rev. Garner has attended Ohio State University, Samaritan
College, and Lancaster Theological Seminary. She is the mother
of four children and has seven grandchildren.
Contact Information for Rev Elder Garner:
Rev. Elder Darlene Garner
UFMCC 8704 Santa Monica Blvd. 2nd Floor West Hollywood, CA (USA)
90069
Tel: 310-360-8640 Fax: 310-360-8680
Email:
revdgarner@ufmcchq.com
Source: http://www.ufmcc.com/ElderGarnerBio2.htm
Home