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The Rev. Julienne Judd pastors three Native American churches.

"One of the members that I took in last year said the most important thing that drew her to this church was that everybody treated her like family."

Rev. Julienne Judd was the fourth generation United Methodist pastor in her family.

"I’m a fourth generation United Methodist and in each of those generations there have been United Methodist clergy," she said. "I was baptized in the Angie Smith Memorial United Methodist Church, Oklahoma, when I was eight- months-old, so my whole life has been involved around United Methodism."

Today she is pastor of three churches in Kansas: Lawrence Indian United Methodist Church in Lawrence, the Sullivan Chapel United Methodist Church in Topeka; and the United Methodist Church Keabeah Fellowship on the Kickapoo Reservation in Horton.

Judd is a member of the Kiowa tribe and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. She says in her mother’s language, there is a prayer that ends with, "God, may this person grow up to be a good person, a person of example to honor their people by being a productive person."

"And so she was always teaching us that in this life, we only have one life, and everything that you do effects other people. So in order to live out a life that honors those who came before you, and to be an example to those who come after you, you have to live a productive life," she said.

Judd said that means "you work all the time." One important part of her work is being part of the disaster early response team for The United Methodist Church's Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference

"The disaster response team actually began as an idea when the Oklahoma City bombing occurred," she said. Native people are everywhere and in a disaster need a familiar face, or someone to have a "consoling word" for them.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief helped the conference fund and form the team, Judd said. Since that time, the team has responded to floods in Montana, wildfires in California, the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York and Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast. Recently, Judd was a first responder to the Eagle Pass tornado that affected the Kickapoo Nation of Texas.

Judd also is a board of director of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race and in that role she is committed to seeing that every conference at every level includes a native voice. She has been active in the movement to remove Native American slogans and mascots removed from sports teams.

Judd said sports team's names like "savages," "warriors" or "redskins" are negative and offensive. "For me it’s very personal. As my children grew up, I tried to teach them and instill in them who we are as native people, as being created by God."

In thinking about her personal spiritual gifts, Judd said hospitality is one she grew up seeing her grandmother model. "In most of our native cultures you will find that that’s an important piece of who they are."

Judd said she also grew up hearing her godmother tell her, "Don't forget you're a Methodist."

Her church family at Angie Smith Memorial United Methodist Church is still important in her life.

"People might think that just because I’m a pastor that I lead a perfectly good life and everything’s just perfect in my life, but it’s not," she said. "What I’ve realized growing up is that being in Christ simply means that you live out your life knowing that you have someone who is always there."

The following people contributed to this Profile:
Print story by Kathy Gilbert; audio story by Mike Hickcox; videography by Craig Campbell, Video Soup. 

UMC.org Profiles are produced by Pam Price, 615-742-5405.

Julienne's Spiritual Gifts

• Faith
• Shepherding
• Compassion
• Healing
• Discernment
• Servanthood

Learn more about your spiritual gifts

Julienne's Recommended Resource

Three Simple Rules by Rueben P. Job

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