The United Church of Christ (UCC) has officially elected the first black person and first woman as General Minister and President.
On 3 July US time, Rev. Dr Karen Georgia Thompson found out she will lead the denomination.
The UCC formed in 1957. It has around 4,700 congregations across the United STates.
“Today, United Church of Christ, we created a first together,” Rev. Dr Thompson said.
“It won’t be the last first.”
“As I stand here before you as your newly and duly elected General Minister and President, I stand here as a Jamaican immigrant woman, a mother and a grandmother, a sister and a friend to many,” Rev. Dr Thompson said.
Rev. Dr Thompson is the third woman to be nominated for the role. Rev. Yvonne Delk was nominated back in 1989, and Rev. Barbara Brown Zikmund in 1999.
The election was held during the UCC’s General Synod in Indianapolis. The meeting began on 30 June..
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Rev. Dr Thompson moved to New York City when she was a teenager. She received a bachelor’s degree in English and Secondary Education at Brooklyn College.
She also has a Master of Public Administration from North Carolina Central University and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York. She received her Doctorate in Ministry from Seattle University.
