Rev. Norma Jean Powell is appointed to Aldersgate UMC
effective July1st 2008
Bio: Rev. Norma Jean Powell
Rev. Norma Jean Powell was born and grew up in Mill Valley, a genuine Marin County native; her sister and brother-in-law still live there. Rev. Powell has been married for 32 years to William (Bill) Walsh, a retired elec. engineer who taught electronics and broadcast technology, in addition to doing on-air broadcast work and operating his own business.
Rev. Powell holds an undergraduate degree in English with minors in history and geology. After earning her BA she earned a fifth-year California teaching credential; she also holds a Master of Divinity from San Francisco Theological Seminary and is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. Professionally, she has taught for 15 years in many capacities and in various systems (things as diverse as third-grade at one extreme and English as a Second Language at the other!)…most recently returning to Marin County Schools where she taught in the schools she had attended as a child and young adult before receiving a call to ministry.
Graduating from seminary in 1996, she was appointed to First United Methodist Church in Bakersfield, then in 1998 was subsequently appointed to Trinity United Methodist Church in Anderson, California. While at Trinity, Norma Jean became involved in community development, especially in establishing a ministry which was called “The Kid’s Place” for at- risk youth, offering them tutoring, sports, music and arts. She was also instrumental in initiating an Urban Renewal program for that part of Anderson in which the Church was planted. In 2003 Pastor Norma Jean was appointed to Chester Community United Methodist Church in Chester, California. While in Chester she was again involved with community development and youth outreach, most recently counseling with youth in the aftermath of the tragic murders of two teenagers. In addition, she founded and led a program for women called “Jubilee Women”(which focuses on the “Jubilee Years” as a time of personal change and spiritual growth), she has conducted a number of “Disciple” programs, and organized and administered many other outreach programs…(a community sewing circle, etc) She has also functioned as pastor at several Emmaus walks as well as a Chrysalis Flight.
She has always been active in the life of the greater United Methodist Church; at the local-church level (before she began the process leading to ordained ministry) she was a member of the Golden Gate District Council on Ministries and served as Director of Christian Education at MTMC, her home church in Mill Valley; at the district level (Nevada Sierra) Norma Jean has been involved in the District Council on Ministries, district Extension Society, and the district Lay-Speaking committee/design team. And at Conference level she has been a member of the Bishop’s Initiative on Children and Poverty.
Pastor Norma Jean brings to her ministry a major vision for helping churches to remember that we are all members of the Body of Christ, and that to realize the full benefit of knowing that may sometimes mean that sometimes their role as leaders—examples— in the ongoing, ever-changing story of Christianity is indeed a part of God’s Plan. She sees and understands the pastoral/congregational relationship as a partnership in which all persons involved contribute their God-given gifts to the strength of the whole body. She believes that encouraging each person to discover their personal gifts and graces and then empowering them to use those gifts is absolutely essential to a vital ministry. Rev. Norma Jean is absolutely delighted to have been given the opportunity to be a part of Aldersgate UMC and eagerly looks forward to sharing in your journey!