rev. dr. renee f. washington gardner

Rev. Renee, as she is lovingly known, is the first woman pastor of the historic Memorial Baptist Church; 

the first woman to lead an established Baptist Church in Harlem;

the first to serve simultaneously as Senior Pastor of one Harlem congregation and Leading Lady of another,

and the first female Moderator of the United Missionary Baptist Association of New York City & Vicinity in its 70-year history.