The Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli

Denomination: United Methodist Church (UMC)
Organization: Foundry United Methodist Church, Washington, DC

Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli is a life-long United Methodist who is passionate about sharing the good news of God's liberating love in Jesus Christ.

In 2014, she became the first woman to serve as Senior Pastor of historic Foundry UMC in Washington, DC. A graduate of Yale Divinity School, Ginger has served a variety of congregations: small and large, urban and suburban in the Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, in addition to an uptown Manhattan and two-point charge in the New York Annual Conference. For over 20 years as a pastor-theologian, her ministry has encouraged spiritual growth and engaged discipleship-emphasizing radical hospitality, shared ministry, spiritual practices, and solidarity with the poor and oppressed. With this focus, she has brought depth, health, and growth to every community she has served.

She is the author of “Sacred Resistance: A Practical Guide to Christian Witness and Dissent.” Ginger also contributes to the Women's Bible editorial board for Common English Bible, for which she is a featured editor of the upcoming release The CEB Women's Bible (October, 2016). Rev. Ginger also regularly presents as a featured theologian, teacher, and speaker at local, district, conference, jurisdictional, and international connectional events.

She enjoys gardening, yoga, poetry, art, ice cream, travel, hiking, and is married to Dr. Anthony T. Gaines-Cirelli, a Catholic theologian, currently serving the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as a Director in their Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs office. The Gaines-Cirellis live in Washington, DC with their cat Annie Rose & dog Harvey.