Rev. Rhonda R. Taylor

The Rev. Rhonda R. Taylor was born on August 12, 1967, in Brooklyn and raised in the Cambria Heights section of Queens, New York. Rev. Taylor answered her call to ministry in 1995.
Rev. Taylor began her spiritual journey at the Springfield Gardens United Methodist Church in Jamaica Queens, New York, where she served as a Ministerial Assistant under the pastoral leadership of the Rev. Dr. Cecil B. Stone. Rev. Taylor was an active member and leader where she allowed her spiritual gifts to be a blessing to others through the channels of service, teaching, prayer, proclamation, evangelism, and visitation. Rev. Taylor earned her B.B.A. Degree in Computer Information Systems from North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina in December 1990. In seeking to expand her ministerial and educational skills, Rev. Taylor received her MDIV Degree from the New York Theological Seminary (NYTS) in May 2003. While in seminary, she successfully completed a yearlong internship, Youth Turn, an intervention program for at-risk youth at the First Baptist Church of Crown Heights in Brooklyn, NY in May 2002.

On June 4, 2004, Rev. Taylor became a Probationary Elder in the United Methodist denomination of the New York Annual Conference (NYAC). During her three-year probationary period, Rev. Taylor served as Senior Pastor of Cutchogue United Methodist Church in Cutchogue, New York (Long East District) and was very active in the Mattituck-Cutchogue Clergy Association.

In her continuous effort towards pursuing excellence in pastoral leadership and ministry, Rev. Taylor successfully completed one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Saint John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, NY in May 2006. On June 9, 2007, Rev. Taylor was ordained Elder in full connection at the NYAC and was appointed to First & Wesley United Methodist Church in West Haven, CT (Connecticut District) where she served as Pastor from July 2007 to June 2014. In July 2014, Rev. Taylor was appointed to the United Methodist Church of Hartford where she served for six years. In August 2020, Rev. Taylor was appointed to Golden Hill United Methodist Church in Bridgeport, Connecticut where she currently serves as Senior Pastor.

Rev. Taylor has been able to share her gifts of ministry within the NYAC in various capacities: • Served on the Commission of Religion and Race • Served on District Committee of Ministry (DCOM) in the Connecticut District for seven years • Currently serve as a Mentor and a member of the Board of Ordained Ministry (BOOM) of the NYAC

In addition to her pastoral/ministerial duties, Rev. Taylor enjoys reading, working out, museums, engaging in racial justice issues, cooking, dancing, and traveling.