The Rev. Mary Anne Glover was called to serve the Virginia Council of Churches as Interim General Minister effective August 1, 2018. Rev. Glover began her journey on the Eastside of Wilson, NC, thirty-two years ago, ten minutes from ‘Atlantic Christian College’ (currently named Barton College) and the Christian Church in North Carolina Regional Church office. Rev. Glover’s initial steps included traveling to Lexington, Kentucky to attend seminary, then to New York City as an Intern with the United States Office of the World Council of Churches and to the Ecumenical Institute Bossey, Switzerland.
Reared in a new church start of the Christian Church in North Carolina (Macedonia Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, which later affiliated with the Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, then back to the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ), Rev. Glover experienced the best of two worlds: the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Church of Christ (Disciples of Christ). As a youth, Rev. Glover attended summer camp at the Goldsboro Raleigh Institute of the Church of Christ (Disciples of Christ) Summer Conference; it was doing her summer camp experiences that she felt the call to ministry; but as a youth, Rev. Glover clearly saw the devaluation and discrimination of women in the church, so she intentionally negotiated with God that social work would be the ministry she would do. Prior to fully accepting her call to ordained ministry, Rev. Glover served as a social worker. Rev. Glover preached her initial sermon and was licensed in 1986; she was ordained to Christian Ministry ” twice”: first by the Church of Christ (Disciples of Christ), then after seminary graduation, by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in North Carolina and Kentucky.
On December 22, 2011, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Northeastern Regional Church Board unanimously called Rev. Glover to serve as the Northeastern Regional Minister. She was installed as the Regional Minister in the Northeastern Region on Saturday, September 15, 2012. This was a historical moment in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as Rev. Glover was the first African American women to be installed in the office of Regional Minister.
Rev. Glover was initially called to the Northeastern Region as Transitional Regional Pastor In
September, 2008. Her prior service includes pastorates of congregations in Indianapolis, IN, Minneapolis, MN and Louisville, KY. Additionally, for almost nine years, she served in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Ohio as Senior Associate Regional Pastor.
Rev. Glover holds a B. S. degree from East Carolina University, an M.Div. from Lexington Theological Seminary, Lexington, KY, where as a graduating student, she was one of two students who delivered the commencement address. She also holds a certificate from the Ecumenical Institute Bossey, Switzerland where she served as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) representative in 1991-1992 school year. During her 2003 sabbatical, Rev. Glover, a Merrill Fellow, studied at Harvard Divinity School. She has also undertaken studies in Clinical Pastoral Education.
From her beginnings in ministry, she has been engaged in many areas of ecumenical ministries and Disciples church life including: Secretary of the Church Women United National Board; Co-Chair of the Church Women United Young Church Women United National Program; Co-Chair of the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches Beyond Racism Together Initiative; in the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ: Vice-President of the National Black Ministers Fellowship, Vice-President of Common Global Ministries Board, and a member of the Council on Christian Unity, Church Women Staff Fellowship Vice-President, and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) representative on the United Church of Christ Executive Council; Rev. Glover also served on the Nurture and Certification Committee of the Christian Church in Indiana and was teacher assistant in the class, “Introduction of Preaching” at Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, IN. Rev. Glover has served as Treasurer on the board of the Faith and Public Policy Institute, Princeton, NJ and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Rev. Glover is the daughter of the late Willie M. and Tamer Hinnant Glover and the youngest of four siblings: George Burns, Charles Edward, and Timothy Cefare.