Born in 1950, the Rev. Carol Gomez experienced a call to ministry that, although unanimously supported by her home church,  found less support in the wider religious community that was divided on the question of ordaining women. However, persisting in finding doors she could open, Rev. Gomez graduated from the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in 1989, and was the first black woman ordained by an American Baptist Church in the Rochester/Genesee Region, the Genesee Baptist Church, at the age of 39. She became pastor of the West Avenue United Methodist Church in Rochester in 1992 and served there until her death at age 51 in July, 2002. During her ministry, she also served as chaplain at the University of Rochester and Keuka College, was founder of the Rochester area African-American Women in Ministry Association, preached at the Martin Luther King Jr Celebration in Rochester, led retreats and workshops, and was a frequent guest preacher at churches and events. 

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To contribute to the Carol Gomez Scholarship Fund, visit www.abcrgr.org/give and select "Carol Gomez Fund from the drop-down menu. 

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*photo credit Morrell, Alan, "The Rev. Gomez dies at 51." Democrat and Chronicle, July 4, 1002, page 1B.