Judy and Rev. Dee Dale, Longtime Denominational Leader and Longtime Pastor, Retire Ms. Judy Dale has served MCC faithfully as a denominational leader, a lay leader, a faithful member of her local church, and a pastor's spouse for 24 years. She is a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, and holds two degrees from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. She served as president of GLUE (Gays and Lesbians United for Equality), secretary of the Comm Ten Board (Community of 10%) and on the boards of Religious Leaders for Fairness and Church Women United.  | | Ms. Judy Dale...the early years |
Most recently, Judy has been the volunteer member of MCC's Communications Team and editor of MCC's Impact (formerly "Around the Fellowship"), the online newsletter that features news and stories of MCC's ministry globally, serving for the past two years in a volunteer capacity. She has constantly been in touch with churches and leaders in creating this valuable vehicle of connection. Judy Dale has had a long, successful career in MCC. She served for decades in many key leadership positions, including as Great Lakes District Coordinator for 13 years, serving as a member of General Council, on the faculty and Board of Trustees of the Samaritan Institute for Religious Studies, and as a presenter and preacher for General Conference. When our system transitioned, she served on the first Board of Administration (2002-2005), eventually serving as Chair (2004-2005). Judy then joined our international staff in the Moderator's Office in Communications (2005-2009) where she worked to keep the focus on the ministry of the local church and uplifting the ministries of churches and individuals to forward the mission of MCC. She also served as staff liaison to the Lay Ministry Council until 2010. Judy Dale became proficient in sign language along the way, a skill she has offered at her local church and at MCC conferences for decades as well. She has been a role model in her commitment to work personally and institutionally for inclusion, in terms of race, ability and other issues. Judy presently serves on MCC's By-Laws Team and for decades served as workshop leader, preacher and parliamentarian at MCC meetings, locally, regionally and internationally. Judy has offered her expertise and skills to churches throughout MCC, to pastors, boards, lay delegates and congregants. Her loyalty and faithfulness has been a role model for us. Through it all, she has been a dedicated church member and supportive pastor's spouse to Rev. Dee Dale, pastor of MCC Louisville, who is also retiring at the end of August (see below). Rev. Elder Dr. Nancy Wilson, Moderator of MCC, shares that "Judy Dale brings organizational, teaching and pastoral skills and love of people to her work as a volunteer and a professional. Judy's ministry has touched the lives of thousands of MCCers in encouraging and nurturing lay and clergy leadership in our churches and denomination for decades. Her love of God, trust in Jesus and reliance on the Holy Spirit, as well as her love for MCC congregations and for the world-wide witness of MCC has helped shape our denomination forever. Her determination for the ministry of the laity to be valued and lifted up has blessed us all and challenged us at many points along the way. I am grateful for the friendship and hospitality Judy and Dee have offered me over the years. . . . I am grateful for the years she copied and enlarged "Impact" for my mother-in-law and mailed it to her so she could stay in touch with MCC news - that kind of personal, thoughtfulness is typical of Judy Dale. . . she will be missed on our staff!"  | | Rev. Dee Dale...trailblazer |
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After 28 years as the Pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of Louisville (Kentucky), Rev. Dee Dale has announced her retirement, effective the end of this month. MCC's Moderator, Rev. Elder Dr. Nancy Wilson, recalls, "Rev. Dee Dale was a pioneer of MCC in Kentucky and the region and lived through some of the most harrowing times of AIDS discrimination and crushing pastoral need. Most recently, Rev Dee's advocacy has extended to the participation and ministry of transgendered persons with enthusiasm in a way that is educating and opening up the community, city and state. As a public servant, as well as a pastor, Dee Dale has changed lives and Kentucky forever!" She has been active with MCC since 1977 and is one of the five longest-term pastors in the denomination. Rev. Dee assumed the pastorate nine years later in December 1983. The church is the oldest LGBT organization in Kentucky and, under her leadership in 1988, was the first to purchase property. Through the years she has frequently been the spokesperson for Gay Christians and their acceptance by others, both Christian and those of other faiths. She has been an activist through the years, not only lobbying for LGBT causes in Kentucky, but also on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Rev. Dee was a member of the founding Board of the Community Health Trust, formed as a response to the health needs of our community just as the AIDS epidemic began. She served on that Board for 11 years, the last four as President. Under her leadership, the first Glade House was purchased and opened as a residence for people who were HIV+ and needed a place to live. For the first few years, she was the clergyperson in Kentuckiana who would conduct funerals for persons who had died from AIDS. She would travel throughout the area because local pastors refused to officiate. Some weeks, she performed one or more funerals a day. She helped train thousands of caregivers, medical personnel, and funeral home employees. Rev. Dee has been active in a number of community organizations, including as a member of the Interfaith Council on Domestic Violence, AIDS Interfaith Ministry, Religious Leaders for Fairness Coordinating Council, and Highland Community Ministries. She is currently Vice President of Church Women United. A graduate of Boyce (an arm of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary), in recent years she has been banned from the campus, and students there have been refused permission to do any papers using her or MCC as the basis of their research. Denominationally, Rev. Dale has been a Supervising Pastor and the mentor and teacher for over a dozen students and Clergy Candidates. She served as Assistant District Coordinator of The Great Lakes District and on the District Committee. Later, she served on the District Clergy Review Committee, then for 10 years as the Chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry, and in many other denominational capacities over the years as a volunteer. | Judy and Rev. Dee Dale...when wearing matching clothes was cool |
Rev. Dee and Judy Dale, after 24 years together, will spend their retirement travelling in their RV for as long as Judy's health allows it. Her lung cancer has returned.  | | Judy and Rev. Dee Dale...don (we now) their gay apparel |
We ask the whole denomination to celebrate the ministry of these two women, pioneers of our MCC movement, each in their own way, and to pray for healing, hope and joy in retirement for both of them!  | | Judy Dale, Rev. Elder Diane Fisher, Rev. Jane Carl, Rev. Susan Deitrick, Rev. Dee Dale, Dee's sister Debbie, and Debbie's husband |
Rev. Elder Diane Fisher writes: "Judy and Dee have been trusted friends and colleagues for decades. Judy and I met during our time together on the General Council of MCC, where Judy served as the District Coordinator for the Great Lakes District. Judy was always ready to help and recently served on the Abilities Team for MCC, where she championed making our conferences and churches accessible for all. Until recently, she was co-lead of the Central US East Network and offered support and care to our churches and clergy. I appreciated her wisdom and her ability to discern the issues facing our churches. She constantly and always supported MCC Louisville and her partner, the Rev. Dee Dale. Rev. Dee has brought a depth of faith and commitment to the church and has been a prophetic voice in the Louisville community. She has been an ecumenical liaison in Louisville, truly representing the LGBT community. Their contribution to our church in Louisville and to the denomination is a wonderful legacy. We know they will continue to serve God and the people of MCC even in retirement! We are so proud of both of you and grateful for your ministries."  | Rev. Elder Freda Smith with Judy Dale
March on Washington |
Rev. Elder Freda Smith shares, "Rev. Dee Dale and Judy Dale have blessed our Denomination for over a quarter of a century. Since my first encounter with Rev. Dee Dale--freshly graduated from a Southern Baptist Seminary and filled to over-flowing with a zeal for service--I have been impressed over and over by the quality of her ministry. I have spoken to persons throughout the breadth of MCC who have been stirred by Rev. Dee's charismatic preaching, experienced her healing ministry, and been emboldened by her courageous advocacy for LGBT, AIDS,and Social Justice concerns. It is not at all unusual for me--when visiting churches--to have a transperson come up to me and say: 'Rev. Dee told me to say Hello for her.' When I follow up, I get an update on Rev. Dee and Judy--their all-year Christmas projects, stretching even beyond last year's boundaries--the addition of yet another penguin to join the hundreds of penguins throughout their home--and most of all the love they give and receive to everyone around. When Judy Dale came into Rev. Dee's life, I said to myself: 'This is perfect!' I know of no one who could possibly have completed Rev. Dee's persona as fully as Judy Dale has. Judy became for the Fellowship what Rev. Dee was to pastoral ministry and advocacy. When I served with Judy Dale on the General Council and watched her subsequent years of International ministry in MCC, I saw the same mixture of wisdom, courage, dedication and humor. I'll never forget Judy Dale's recitation of "Rindercella and her sugly isters" as she reinvigorated the General Council after a long and difficult day. I am looking forward to seeing their RV pull up in front of my door."  | | Judy Dale, Jane Rogers, Vicky Cooper, Rev. Elder Freda Smith, and Rev. Dee Dale |
WE INVITE YOU TO SEND PERSONAL EMAIL CONGRATULATIONS, HONORING THEM, TO RevDee@aol.com AND JudyDale13@aol.com. |
