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Freeman Palmer is Annual Meeting keynote speaker

The Rev. Freeman Palmer, conference minister of the Central Atlantic Conference of the UCC, will share insights with PNC.  Photo courtesy of Central Atlantic Conference

The Rev. Freeman Palmer, conference minister of the Central Atlantic Conference of the UCC, will share insights with PNC.  Photo courtesy of Central Atlantic Conference

The Annual Meeting keynote speaker the Rev. Freeman Palmer, Central Atlantic UCC Conference minister, believes that the challenge for today is to live into what it means for UCC churches to say, “No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”

He believes it is important for the UCC to live into that as individuals, churches, communities and a denomination, given that some UCC congregations are open-and-affirming and some are not and given that members may have voted different and have different beliefs about transgender siblings.

“The key is to come to the table and talk about it,” Freeman said, noting that the text for the PNC Annual Meeting is Luke 14:12-14, which says, “Then Jesus turned to the host and said, ‘The next time you put on a big dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who rarely get invited like people who are marginalized, oppressed and othered. You’ll be and experience a blessing. They may not be able to return the favor in a way you’d expect, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned—at the resurrection of God’s people.’”

“I hope each of our lives bears witness of the Gospel led by the spirit,” he said, pointing out that his experience as a second career minister and part of the LGBTQ ministry and as a person of color, he believes it’s important to live a ministry that is not monolithic.

He is proud that the Central Atlantic Conference (CAC), where he began as conference minister in 2019 after nine years as associate conference minister for congregational development in the New York Conference of the UCC, is a diverse conference with African Americans, Asian Americans and European Americans, a microcosm of the UCC with a lot of theological diversity. The CAC covers five states and Washington, D.C.

“I’m the covenant keeper, keeping relationships among open-and-affirming and non-open-and-affirming congregations,” Freeman said.

“My call and challenge, as all conference ministers are challenged, is how to be a united church of Christ that unites around the mission of Christ.

Freeman said that Phil Hodson, PNC designated conference minister, asked him to share what the CAC does around social justice and racial justice as the national government is dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and initiatives related to immigrant rights, refugee resettlement and asylum seekers.

One thing the CAC has done is to be a named plaintiff in the litigation against the Department of Homeland Security related to rescinding the long-standing policy that I.C.E. would not enter churches, schools or hospitals to arrest and deport people.

April 3 there is a hearing on that lawsuit and Freeman hopes there will be a short-term injunction to prevent that happening.

In these times, he finds many ways to be a prophetic witness—from prophetic litigation to pastoral care for all who are suffering from threatened and actual cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food programs and more, as well as those losing or threatened with losing their jobs.

“They have pastoral needs. In D.C., we have 20 percent of the federal workforce, but they are all across the states—national parks and local program offices,” Freeman said. “Many are threatened, and we need to take care of each other with compassion for needs and with prophetic witness.

“What is happening nationally is hitting everyone where they live. No one is immune,” he asserted.

Freeman was ordained at The Riverside Church in 2004 as associate minister at Middle Collegiate Church in Manhattan, where he served for five years. He is member of the Reformed Church of Highland Park in Highland Park, NJ.

He was also an original contributor to the African American Lectionary, an online worship, scriptural and cultural resource used principally by African American congregations. Originally from Washington DC, Freeman attended seminary after a 15-year career with CBS Inc. in television and radio financial management, before serving as head of Finance and Administration of WCBS-AM News Radio 880 in New York City.

After high school, Freeman earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Swarthmore College, a master’s degree in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a master of divinity degree from New York Theological Seminary, where he served as comptroller while a student.

Freeman also served two years as chief financial officer for the North Jersey Community Research Initiative, one of New Jersey’s largest social service organizations serving people living with HIV/AIDS.

His spouse, Donal, is an ordained minister with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in Baltimore.

Commenting on the sermon by Episcopal Bishop Marian Edgar Budde at the National Cathedral, Freeman said her words were the kind of witness needed.

“We need to speak compassionately and boldly,” he said.

For information on Annual Meeting, call 206-725-8383 or visit pncucc.org.

 

Pacific Northwest Conference United Church News Copyright © April 2025

 

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