Narrative Summary
Interview with Gloria Jones by Katie Brockmeier
Gloria Jones grew up with influences from different religious denominations, including
the Catholic and Baptist Churches; however, she has found a home and her vocational calling in
the Methodist Church. She is a pastor at two local chapels in Missouri—Mount Carmel United
Methodist Church and Pitts Chapel. Throughout her life, she has been influenced by the actions
of her parents, her grandmother, her ex-husband, her children, other spiritual leaders, and, most
importantly, by God. During the interview, she discussed two revelations from God, one when
she was a young girl and the other as an adult. She has always had a strong relationship with
God, even when she did not understand exactly what that relationship meant. After her second
encounter, she began to take classes at St. Paul’s Seminary in Missouri and has since been
working as an ordained pastor in the Methodist Church.
Gloria currently conducts a healing ministry by visiting the elderly and sick in her church
community, either at their homes or in the hospital. In our discussion, she gave an in-depth
retelling of one story in which she helped to heal a dying woman. She has witnessed spiritual
healing, not only in her own life, but in her son and father’s lives as well. Gloria was also present
at the baptism of her father in a St. Louis hospital just days before his death. She spends much of
her time in conversation with God and values her relationship with him more than anything else;
however, her spiritual journey was not always a smooth path. She has faced resistance in both
her spiritual and personal life because of her gender.
Her husband introduced her to the Methodist Church, but the more she became involved
in the church, the more distant he grew. They eventually divorced and though she has tried
dating since then, she acknowledges that her authority in the church intimidates most men. Her
spiritual life has also been affected by the simple fact that she is a female. A male authority
Missouri State University
Fall 2008
Religious Lives of Ozarks Women
2
figure in the seminary where she studied was put off by her gender and the way she would
question some aspects of his teaching. That particular man made it difficult for her in the initial
part of her studies. Others also noticed how unjust his actions were towards her, but she was
eventually able to overcome this obstacle.
Thankfully, her current denomination—Methodism—is fairly open to women partaking
in leadership roles. Unlike some denominations, women are able to become ordained as pastors
and lead services. Although they have this freedom, Gloria admits that only recently has a
woman been ordained as the pastor of a large church in Missouri. She says that, prior to that
appointment, women had often been found leading only small country churches. In the interview
she recounts the story of her first time preaching at a small church outside of St. Louis, as well as
her first time preaching at her home church. She also tells about the feedback she received each
time from members of the congregation and how rewarding those comments were to her.
Throughout her life, Gloria has faced challenges in her faith. She never received formal
instruction in her faith until she began studying in the seminary. For much of her childhood and
young adulthood, she only had conversations with God to guide her through her spiritual
journey. She is a strong woman who does not allow others to sway her opinions or hold her back
from something she believes in. Her personality is very bubbly, and she is always willing to talk
to or help others in their own spiritual paths. Gloria is a great representation of a strong, female
religious figure in the Ozarks area.
Missouri State University
Fall 2008
Religious Lives of Ozarks Women