Julie and her partner Sue Selewski have been members of Redford Aldersgate for over a year and Julie decided it was time to put her talents to work for a church that has welcomed her and Sue. Here is a photo of Julie and Sue.
This is a photo of the comsissioning service. From the left are Pastor Courtney Williams of the West Outer Drive campus, Pastor Julie Herod, Pastor Jeff Nelson of the Redford campus, and Staff Parish Chair Murray Davis.
A tradition at Redford Aldersgate is for all of us to lay hands on a person, this time in celebration. Pastors Julie and Jeff moved to the center of the sanctuary. All of us formed a human chain laying hands on Julie or on the person in front of us. We are all connected in community.
Pastor Julie told us a bit about her story. She heard a call to ministry at the age of 10. But when she was ready to act on the call she was told it was not possible. Julie turned to a career in finance and administration and served as both Controller and CFO in various organizations.
Twenty years later she returned to the call and earned a Masters of Divinity from Baptist Missionary Alliance Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, Texas. She was ordained through the International Association of Community Churches and served churches in Texas and Michigan. This is a photo of Pastor Julie telling her story.
You may wonder how a lesbian in relationship can serve as a pastor in a United Methodist Church given the restrictions in the Book of Discipline. This is a personnel decision strictly within the local church. Pastor Julie was not appointed by the bishop. She is not an elder in the denomination. She is offering her gifts and talents to the church and the church is gratefully offering her a way to put those talents to work. We welcome her commission to work among us and for us.
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