A woman who grew up in Cherry Log is proud, grateful and excited to have recently been named the new minister of Cherry Log Christian Church (CLCC).
Monica Ledford will be the first female pastor of the local Disciples of Christ church, which reviewed many candidates for the ministership.
“It’s quite a lengthy process,” said Ledford about the search for a new minister, which includes a search committee, narrowing of candidates and approval by both the church board and congregation.
“We were without a minister for five months, then we had our interim minister from May of last year until February of this year, so it’s been a long time since we’ve had a (permanent) minister.”
Ledford graduated from Fannin High School in 1984, then left to attend college. She lived elsewhere for several years before returning to Cherry Log in 2011 to care for her mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s. During that time, she began attending services at CLCC.
“My dad was from Cherry Log, and my mother was from Fannin County, in the Dial community, so this is home to me,” she said. “When my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, my dad asked me to come back and help with her care, which I was blessed to be able to do. I found Cherry Log Christian Church in the process. The more I worked with the congregation, the more I fell in love with them, and it just felt that this was what God was calling me to do.”
Ledford previously pastored at a Gainesville church, Christ First International Christian Community Church, before becoming Director of Pastoral Care for CLCC, a role she held until just recently.
In that capacity, Ledford, a former office manager at the Gilmer County Health Department, looked after sick congregation members and those in need, said Mary Encinias, CLCC congregation member.
“(A pastoral care director) doesn’t exist in every parish. All churches have a lot of elderly people, and we had a lot of people who were sick. She was always checking on them. That was during the end of the COVID pandemic,” said Encinias.
About the qualities that made Ledford a standout candidate for the ministership, Encinias said, “She’s so welcoming and social. She loves to have a gathering, which is a real credit to someone in the ministry. She relates to regular people, because she is regular people.”
On being the first female minister at the church and one of few in the entire county, Ledford said, “I think our world is evolving, and our faith traditions are changing and evolving. In so many places where females haven’t been able to serve in a leadership capacity, that’s also changing. I’m just grateful to be in a church that’s recognized that, in general, but especially in calling me. I’m really looking forward to seeing what God has planned for our future.”
“We’re very excited about this new branch on the beautiful tree (of our church),” said Encinias.
Cherry Log Christian Church was founded by Dr. Fred Craddock in 1996. A professor at the Candler School of Theology before moving to the hills of north Georgia, Craddock is perhaps best known for starting the Craddock Center, also in Cherry Log. The nonprofit offers various enrichment, outreach and literacy programs for kids and adults in a nine-county area.
“I think every minister who’s come since Dr. Craddock has recognized that those are some big shoes to fill,” Ledford said.
Encinias described CLCC as a “progressive” church that welcomes anybody and everybody. It was recently named an official Open and Affirming Congregation by the Disciples of Christ, Ledford noted.
“That’s one of the biggest things I’ve been most proud of in the past year. It means we wholeheartedly welcome all people in membership and service of this congregation,” she said.
The church also offers many volunteer and outreach opportunities including cancer and Alzheimer’s/dementia caregiver support groups, a weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, a clothes closet, a community garden, monthly fundraising dinners and a food pantry, Ledford noted.
“We also do a ministry on Tower Road once a month,” she added.
Over the week of Easter, Ledford was preparing for her first sermon at the church, which was set for that special Sunday. She’d recently returned from a mission trip to Kentucky, which included visiting families affected by catastrophic flooding in the eastern region.
“I’ve been keeping busy in preparation and spending a lot of time in prayer about the direction CLCC is headed. I feel like this is a new beginning for our congregation, and what an appropriate time for a new beginning than Easter Sunday. I couldn’t think of anything better,” Ledford said.