Bishop Beverly Shamana, Friends In Deed Board Member, Dies at 81

Friends In Deed, a Pasadena interfaith organization that provides services to meet the needs of the homeless, is mourning the loss of Bishop Beverly Shamana, who served as a board member at the organization.

In a statement, Friends In Deed Board President Bret Schaefer described Shamana as a “beautiful human being” and a “dedicated” volunteer in the community.

“Bishop Beverly was a welcoming hostess who filled her home with her own artistic creations and generously held memorable fundraisers on our behalf.”

“She was active in, among other congregations, the community of First United Methodist Church, Pasadena, generously giving of her time to serve as a spiritual leader in worship and congregational activities, particularly those related to the arts.”

Schaefer said Shamana will be remembered as a woman of wisdom, grace and generosity.

Shamana, only the second-ever female African American elected to the United Methodist episcopacy, died August 1 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease, The United Methodist Church (UMC) Council of Bishops said in a statement.

Shamana, who oversaw the California-Nevada Conference from 2000 to 2008, died at home in Eagle Rock, California.

Council of Bishops President Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey described Shamana as a voice for justice.

“Women bishops stand on the strength of her shoulders. Her commitment to the episcopacy and for women bishops was paramount. She was one who offered her constant love and support to all the bishops but particularly the women bishops who had accepted the responsibility to lead,” Bishop Harvey said. “Her presence will be missed.”

Former Council of Bishops President Bishop Warner Brown, who was elected in the same jurisdiction with Shamana said he was devastated upon hearing the news about the latter’s death.

“Bishop Beverly Shamana is widely known as a gifted preacher, musician, artist and teacher. But I will remember her most as a cherished colleague who embodied a love and spirituality that embraced and lifted all the people she met,” he said.

Shamana, born on November 4, 1939, was raised by her parents Sylvester and Charlene Martin in Pasadena, California. She is the oldest of the four children in the family.

In 1961, she earned a degree in Choral and Music Education at Occidental College.

In Shamana’s early career, she taught public school choral and music history in Compton and Pasadena School Districts while directing church choirs. Shamana also established a knitting machine business in Pasadena.

While serving as the Executive Secretary for the Commission on the Status and Role of Women in the Pacific and Southwest Conference in the mid-seventies, she answered God’s call to ministry and entered Garret-Evangelical Theological Seminary.

She received her Master of Divinity Degree in 1980, was ordained deacon in 1979 and elder in 1984.

Shamana served multicultural churches in Los Angeles and Inglewood, and spent 11 years as a conference staff member prior to being elected bishop in 2000 by the Western Jurisdictional Conference.

Aside from her involvement in church-related activities, Shamana was also involved in community activities.

Bishop Shamana is survived by her husband, Walter Woods.

A memorial service has been arranged for Shamana tentatively on September 11 at 10:00 a.m. at Pasadena First UMC, according to the Council of Bishops.