b'The Reverend Telley Lynette GadsonBy Connie RouseIf I can help somebody as I travel along the way, then my living will not be in vainIt was 20 years ago that IMARA Woman Magazinetradition of making the entire world her parish.interviewed the young emerging pastor, Reverend Telley Lynnette Gadson. I have grown in theseWhat, Why, Howtwenty years to be more holistic as a minister, moreRev. Gadson believes that Leaders must not just prophetic as a preacher and more compassionatelearn the whats but also the whys of the people as a counselor. Gadson growth in the ministry haswhom they have been called to serve. She contends not gone unnoticed, she was recently appointedthat when pastors help members figure out these Superintendent of thetwo components, members Hartsville District of thewill then help pastors figure United Methodist Church byout the hows to create Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.effective ministry. According Prior to her Superintendentto Gadson, ministry is appointment she was the a partnership of pulpit senior pastor of Saint Markand pew which produces United Methodist Church inbuy-in and accountability Taylors, SC, where she servedbetween the pastor and the God and Gods people withcongregation, especially in the F.I.R.E., an acronym for theculture of the Black Church. churchs motto, Walking byHer desire is to remain a FAITH, Living to INSPIRE,beacon of light that leads Gracefully REDEEMED, andothers to Christ. She admits, serving with EXCELLENCEhowever, that the realities to the Glory of God! of COVID in 2020 brought about a paradigm shift in Pastor T, as she isher thinking as she reckoned endearingly called, iswith on a greater scale how endowed with an anointeddeeply important relationship, presence that few will deny. human touch, and interaction Her powerful preaching asare to ministry.an Elder within the UnitedThough Pastor T uses social Methodist Church andmedia and teleconference, throughout the Christian community across theshe found herself struggling with the reality of nation transcends race, gender and denomination. Shewhat it means to be a virtual pastor in times when earned a B.A. degree in Political Science, and a minorconnectivity is most important to the human spirit.in Religious Studies from USC and went on to obtainPeople need people, she says, and she never saw a Master of Divinity degree with a certification inCOVID-19 coming so there was no way for her to Black Church Studies from the Candler Schoolprepare for the great separation she would experience of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.within her congregation as they tried to safely social Equipped with a theological grounding and a deepdistance. It is only by Gods grace, her unfailing spirit commitment to her call, she fulfills the WesleyanContinued on page 2714IMARA'