Henrietta United Church of Christ Calls Gay Erie native as Senior Pastor

Henrietta, New York - Henrietta United Church of Christ has called Erie native Rev. Jason S. Boyd as its Senior Pastor. Rev. Boyd is the first openly gay person to be called as Senior Pastor.

Henrietta United Church of Christ has been an Open and Affirming congregation for nearly a decade, and annually hosts a Pride service as well as participating in Pride activities in the Rochester metropolitan area.

Rev. Boyd attended Andover Newton Theological School on a full academic scholarship, and was also a two-time recipient of the United Church of Christ's William Johnson Scholarship, annually awarded to LGBTQ seminarians. Rev. Boyd worked in higher education prior to attending seminary, including at the University of Washington in Seattle where he taught a first-year seminar in LGBTQ issues for several academic terms.

Rev. Boyd was a member of Community United Church in Erie, led by two openly LGBTQ ministers, Rev. Dr. Richard McCarty and Pastor Joy Johnson. Rev. Boyd also delivered the invocation at Erie's vigil for the victims of Charlottesville, held on Perry Square in August 2017.

Rev. Boyd will be formally installed on December 8.