|
United Church of Christ 
Rosemary, a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma, is the first American Indian woman ordained in the United Church of Christ (UCC). Celebrating twenty years of ordained ministry in 2007, she has served as a local church pastor for twelve years at the Mt. Tabor United Church of Christ in Rocky Ridge, Maryland; as a director of the Eagle Butte Learning Center, a ministry of the Council for American Indian Ministry, UCC; interim executive director for the Council for American Indian Ministry and is active on boards and directorates of the national UCC. She is frequently featured as a speaker and bible study leader at national and regional UCC-related events and has written extensively for the UCC. She has taught at Western Maryland College, Westminster, Maryland in the religion and philosophy department, and recently as an adjunct at Philips Theological Seminary and guest lectured at Tulsa University and Oklahoma University. Rosemary has been a friend of the Community of Hope particularly through their ministry with Native Hawaiian prisoners who were incarcerated at Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga, OK. Advocating for and supporting the right to the free exercise of religion by native Hawaiians, Community of Hope companions Revs. Leslie Penrose, Melinda Foster, Armin Schmidt and Darrell Christopher travelled weekly to Watonga to support the prisoners so far from home. Community of Hope often hosted clergy and spiritual leaders from Hawaii who came to visit their native sons. 
Committed to native language and cultural preservation, Rosemary teaches the Mvskoke (Creek) language at Oklahoma State University (Tulsa Campus) and at the Wilson Public Schools near Henryetta. Rosemary makes her home near Dustin on the land allotment of her maternal grandmother, where she and her husband Paul raise Hereford cattle, llamas, chickens and guineas. 
Rosemary comes to the Community of Hope as a friend and companion, a trained Interim Pastor with a theological perspective reflective of the community, committed to diversity, peace, and justice, and has strong affirmation from the Community of Hope. For additional information about the pastor and her work, Google Rosemary McCombs Maxey or go to the following sites:
www.ucc.org/women/pdfs/microsoft-word-finding-voice-rosemary-maxey-july-2007.pdf
|