Renee Ford is a mother (to Wesley), a spouse (married to Rev. Bob Ford, a fellow United Methodist pastor serving in Clearfield County), a minister, a learning designer, an instructor, a musician, and above all, a lover of God and people.
Pastor Renee has called Happy Valley home since 2003, when she began serving the Houserville-Woodycrest charge in State College. In 2016, she added Grays UMC to the mix, and also preaches at St. Peter’s UCC. She now looks forward with joy and hope to ministering with the Albright-Bethune community in this next chapter of ministry.
She’s originally from Mooers, NY, a tiny town on the Canadian-Vermont border—population 3,500 (or 10,000 if you count the cows!). Renee didn’t grow up in a church-going family, which is part of what fuels her passion for building an authentic, relational, and relevant faith community. She knows that many people around us love God but haven’t always felt welcome or comfortable in church spaces, and she’s committed to being a pastor who welcomes the curious, the wounded, the skeptical, and the searching. She believes in fostering a church that’s not afraid of questions, that centers Jesus’ values, and that cares deeply for the “last, least, and lost.”
Renee started ministry in 1993 as a campus ministry intern at SUNY Plattsburgh, then served as a youth minister in Dublin, Ohio, a circuit minister in the British Methodist Church, and since 1999, has pastored churches across northeastern and central Pennsylvania. She holds a B.A. in Individualized Studies (Music, Philosophy & Religious Studies) from SUNY Plattsburgh, a Master of Divinity from The Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and a Ph.D. in Workforce Education & Development from Penn State University, where her dissertation focused on clergy leadership effectiveness.
By day, Renee works as a Senior Instructional Designer at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, where she also teaches as a Supplemental Instructor of Management and Organization, teaching MGMT 445: Managing a Diverse Workforce. She also serves on Smeal’s Diversity Council. Her commitment to justice extends to her denominational work as well, where she serves on the Committee on Native American Ministries for both the Susquehanna Conference and the Northeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church. Her French-Canadian Immigrant and Haudenosaunee (Mohawk) heritage, along with her Cuban roots, deepen her connection to justice, history, and the sacred calling of healing and repair.
People sometimes don’t believe she’s a pastor… maybe because she doesn’t exactly fit the mold. Her dad was a truck driver, and she still remembers ALL the words she learned during her upbringing. Truth be told, because she didn't grow up in a church culture, she understands folks who are trying to make it through the week, who carry questions, doubts, and deep hopes. She "gets" people who are skeptical about church but still long for meaning and connection. Renee endeavors to be genuine, faithful, and present for and with the community.
Renee brings with her a deep love of justice, a commitment to equity, and a heart for every person who’s ever wondered if church could be different. She’s excited to serve Albright-Bethune UMC. Make it stand out