Today we’d like to introduce you to Jane Graner.
Hi Jane, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
From as far back as I can remember I have felt a strong sense of God’s presence in my life. Growing up in Fort Worth I was a fixture at my United Methodist church, eventually becoming very active in our youth group. When I was 13 our youth pastor told us that he was going to a school called a seminary. As I listened to him explain what a seminary was, a strong conviction came over me that one day I, too, would go to seminary. Shortly thereafter I began telling people that I wanted to be a theologian when I grew up.
I continued to be active in my youth group, eventually becoming president. As an older youth, as I began to accept positions of leadership at church and at school, my priorities began to change. I discovered that it was extremely fulfilling to help and serve others. By my senior year of high school I had decided that, instead of becoming a theologian, God was calling me to become a pastor.
Then I went to college. Unfortunately I eventually stopped going to church. The call became fainter and fainter. I graduated with a degree in psychology from Texas Woman’s University (TWU), entered a professional photography program, and worked in the photography field for six years.
I eventually started my own business and opened a photo lab. While I was proud of the quality of our work, the lab was never able to turn a profit and I closed it after a year and a half. Only weeks later I ruptured my knee while playing racquetball and was facing what would eventually become two surgeries and over seven months of grinding physical therapy. I went from working 60 hours a week (or longer during the holidays) to sitting on my sofa at home, leg elevated, with nothing to do. I felt like a complete failure who had let down my family and my employees. I was in excruciating physical and emotional pain.
And then I was invited to join a Bible study. From the first session, I experienced a resurrection. My old passion for Bible study and theology was reborn as week after week I poured over each new lesson, eager to see what fresh insights were awaiting me there. Nine months later my fellow Bible study participants unanimously declared that I was being called to seminary. So I went.
I loved my time at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University (SMU). Seminary ended up being every bit as wonderful as I had imagined it as a 13 year old girl. It was a time of rapid intellectual and spiritual growth. And once again I felt the familiar tug of God’s call, but to what I wasn’t sure.
After seminary graduation in 1996 I became involved with First United Methodist Church of Denton. I stayed there thirteen years and became deeply involved in multiple dimensions of church life. From there I became the Minister of Discipleship at Northgate UMC in Irving where I ministered for three years. During that time I also earned a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Perkins.
At that time I became eligible to be licensed as a pastor, so I was appointed Senior Pastor to Oak Haven UMC in Irving. In my six years at Oak Haven the church doubled its membership.
In 2019 I was fully ordained as an Elder in The United Methodist Church and then appointed as Senior Pastor at Trinity UMC in Duncanville where I currently serve.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In the six years I have served as Senior Pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church in Duncanville, the congregation and I have faced several potentially catastrophic challenges. Shortly after the beginning of 2020 our Lay Leader unexpectedly died of brain cancer. Then our church was burglarized and all our audio/video equipment was stolen or destroyed.
Then came Covid! Overnight we had to convert to online worship only. But we persevered! After a year of online only worship we planed to have Easter Sunday 2021 as our first in-person worship service in a year.
But God had other plans! Before we had a chance to open up to in-person worship the church’s water pipes burst during the “snowmageddon” event of February 2021. Our entire building was flooded and rendered unusable. Back to online worship only for another year!
We didn’t meet in person for almost two years. But when we returned we had a newly renovated building with all new state-of-the-art audio/visual equipment. It was tough, but God was good!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am the Senior Pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church of Duncanville. Ministry requires a variety of skills from public speaking, to pastoral counseling, to occasionally church janitor. It also requires you to help lead the church financially, so a pastor needs to have a fair amount of business skills.
What I am most proud of, however, is that it was my honor to be the first openly LGBTQ person ordained in The United Methodist Church anywhere in the southern United States. This has enabled me to spread the good news that God’s love includes everyone and to provide a safe space for folks who have been hurt or felt excluded from the church in the past.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I will be eternally grateful for the mentorship of the Rev. Dr. Greg Neal who gave me a much needed kick in the ass to pursue ordained ministry.
My family have been a constant source of love and encouragement along the way.
Contact Info:
- Website: tumcd.org
- Facebook: trinityumcd
- Youtube: @ trinityumcd
