Bishop Allyson Abrams

Bishop Allyson Nelson Abrams, D.Min.

Baptist Church

Detroit, MI

Bishop Allyson Abrams was baptized and nurtured in the Baptist churches of Birmingham, AL. It was there that her oratorical gift and musical gifts were evident. Bishop Abrams later attended seminary and received her M.Div and D.Min degrees. Bishop continued to serve in the Baptist Church and in 2008 was the youngest female to be “called” to a Black Baptist Church as their pastor in the City of Detroit. During this time she was very active in her community. She was a rising star on the Baptist scene. She served in many offices with the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit, but the one of esteem was Secretary of the Council. She was elected as Vice President of NAACP in South Oakland County, MI. She worked with many social justice organizations, including PFAW’s African American Ministers Leadership Council. She was the 3rd woman to ever preach for the Annual Session for the Progressive National Baptist Convention. She was known for her fiery stirring messages and ability to energize a crowd. She was one of the few seated Baptist Pastors to be consecrated prelate (presiding bishop) of her own fellowship, Pneuma Christian Fellowship.

In 2013, Bishop Abrams married the woman that she loved and wanted to share the rest of her life with. After being married for 6 months, Bishop Abrams stood in her pulpit, at the risk of losing everything she had gained in ministry, and told her congregation during Sunday morning worship that she had married a woman and that love was love. Her Detroit congregation that she pastored was separated on whether she should remain as pastor, so Bishop Abrams resigned as pastor of the congregation at the end of October 2013. After her disclosure to the Detroit congregation her story appeared in newspapers and media outlets all across the globe. Bishop Abrams was outcast from many organizations and lost contracts and jobs because of her sexuality. She was demonized and unwelcomed to come in pulpits across the country because she was a lesbian.

Bishop Abrams in 2014 knew that God still had a “call” on her life and that she still had a burning to preach and pastor God’s people, so she opened a new church in Silver Spring, MD, Empower-ment Liberation Cathedral, which is a church that celebrates LGBTQ Christians. She has been bringing healing to the community through her ministry and her testimony. Bishop Abrams now has a ministry that reaches people all across the globe through social media, live stream, and YouTube. Bishop Abrams and her wife, Bishop Emeritus Diana Williams are committed to justice work and advocacy in the LGBT community. ELC is affiliated with Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptist and Metropolitan Community Churches. Bishop Abrams understands that there is an intersectional point between faith and orientation, and God meets us there.

This stole was donated to the collection on Bishop Abrams' behalf by the Shower of Stoles Project. This took place at a news conference during the National LGBTQ Task Force's Faith & Family LGBTQ Power Summit in Salt Lake City, UT on October 21, 2015.