ABOUT OUR PASTOR

Rev. Dr. Renee F. Washington Gardner has served as Senior Pastor of the Memorial Baptist for 20 years
and in December 2024, became the 16th Moderator
of the United Missionary Baptist Association of
New York and Vicinity (aka, UMBA). She is noted
as a trailblazer and a woman of many “firsts.”

In addition to being the first woman to lead UMBA in its 70-year history, Pastor Renee is (1) the first woman locally to succeed her husband as Pastor; (2) the first woman to be elected Senior Pastor
of an established Baptist Church in Harlem; (3) Memorial’s first woman Pastor, and (4) married to the Rev. Dr. Sean P. Gardner,
Sr., Senior Pastor of the East Ward Missionary Baptist Church, she is the first woman to serve simultaneously as Pastor of one Harlem congregation and First Lady of another.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Pastor Renee is a skilled preacher, teacher, counselor, and administrator. She specializes in catechism preparation for those seeking diaconate and ministerial ordination, and also does marriage counseling. Her passion and love for all are evident through her community outreach, mission programs, and involvement in social justice issues. She has held leadership

positions with organizations such the Council of Churches of Manhattan, the Harlem Interfaith Counseling Service, Inc., the Black Leadership Commission on AIDS Women’s Group, and the Boy’s Choir of Harlem. During the pandemic, she was a leader in creating access to COVID testing and vaccination for underserved

communities. She was also one of 25 women pastors selected nationally for Lott Carey’s Striving and Thriving program.

Pastor Renee is a credentialed chaplain, having completed the accredited Clinical Pastoral Education program through the Veteran’s Administration. She also serves as a chaplain for the New York Transit Authority.

Dr. Washington Gardner has been honored by organizations including The National Action Network’s Women's Auxiliary, the Balm in Gilead, and the NAACP, just to name a few. She has been heralded by political leaders including President Joe Biden, Senators Hilary Clinton, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Chuck Shumer; former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and local legends like former

Congressman Chuck Rangel, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former City Council President C. Virginia Fields.

Pastor Renee is a graduate of the New York Theological Seminary/ Eastern Baptist Extension Program in Urban Ministry. She is a respected cosmetologist and has extensive training and experience in mortuary science. She applies her training and gifts in bereavement counseling, as well as in officiating at funerals. She is recipient of an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the St. Thomas Christian College.

Rev. Renee is the mother of five sons and 15 grandchildren. Her blessed assurance is heard frequently in her testimony, “When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all He has done for me, my soul cries out “Hallelujah!” “I thank God for saving me!”