Our Pastor
The Reverend Gale D. Jones
Reverend Gale D Jones was elected as Interim Pastor for Long Island Community Fellowship on October 9, 2011 and officialy installed on November 12, 2011
Reverend Gale D. Jones was born and grew up in Philadelphia, PA where she was educated in the parochial school system and subsequently obtaining a BA in Economics from Immaculata University. Reverend Jones is the eldest of three siblings, and the mother of an adult daughter and a grandmother to two grandsons.
Although Reverend Jones earnestly strives to maintain a close walk with God, her entry into the ministry was indirect. Reverend Jones’ primary professional experience was in management and executive positions in corporate financial environments.
At the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, she immersed herself in HIV Prevention Activities. Reverend Jones’ contributing HIV/AIDS prevention activities were executed as a volunteer and ultimately for compensation and included positions as: Fiscal Officer, Director of Programming and Education, and Outreach Coordinator. It is through this work that Reverend Jones recognized the interconnectedness of society’s injustices and her need for involvement through a more spiritual approach.
1992, Reverend Jones earnestly entered onto the path of spiritual development and ministerial training with the Unity Fellowship Church Movement (UFCM), a liberal mainline church denomination that is explicitly welcoming of LGBT African Americans.
Reverend Jones received ordination under the auspices of UFCM first as a Deacon and subsequently as Reverend that led to tenure of Assistant Pastor. Ultimately, Reverend Jones was sanctioned as a Pastor upon which she obtained all rights, privileges and responsibilities to teach and preach about spirituality, administer sacraments, preside at life-passage rituals such as weddings and funerals, lead public worship and provide spiritual counsel.
For over 20 years, Reverend Jones has worked with populations that are traditionally marginalized and severely underserved. She is an activist for human rights concerns, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) issues, alternative sex and differently-gendered cultures, women, disenfranchised and disconnected youth and people living with HIV/AIDS.
Specifically, Reverend Jones’ youth work consist of regular facilitation of a workshop entitled “Someone I know Is Gay” for the “Each One Teach One” project of the Juvenile Justice Project at the Correctional Association Of New York. Consultation in the curriculum and program design of “Safe Passages” for youth advocating for the rights of LGBT young people in New York State and City detention facilities as well as workshop facilitation on sexuality.
Reverend Jones also provided weekly workshop coordination for young women in a New York State run juvenile detention facility and co-facilitation of workshops for staff working with LGBT young people who are court-mandated to both detention and treatment facilities.
Reverend Jones’ organizing and community work includes: an appointment to the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene Prevention Planning Group and Chair of the Women’s And Children workgroup. She also co-chaired a consortium of women to host a 2004 summit for formerly incarcerated women; former co-chair of the steering committee of the Central Harlem HIV Care Network and Chair of the Re-entry Committee.
Reverend Jones is a member of the policy committee of the Women’s HIV Collaborative of New York City; membership on the steering committee of the New York Juvenile Justice Coalition as well as participation in the workgroups for Sexually Exploited Girls and LGBT populations (past co-char).
As clergy, in addition to pastoral responsibilities, Reverend Jones provides counseling and spiritual support for people living with HIV/AIDS and ministry to incarcerated and/or homeless youth and adults.
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I first came to LICF in the summer of 2009. Pastor Shane Hibbs asked me to be Director of Fundraising. I thought that I would organize some fundraising events, and meet with Pastor Shane periodically. But then I attended a service! And now, more than two years later, I attend services regularly, and don't just think of LICF as a church for which I do fundraising....LICF is my family!!
