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Biography
The Rev. Marcus Matthews was elected bishop on July 14, 2004, during the first ballot taken at the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference held in Syracuse, New York. He was assigned to serve the Philadelphia Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church (Eastern Pennsylvania and Peninsula-Delaware Conferences) effective September 1, 2004.
Bishop Matthews is originally from Florence, South Carolina, where his home church, Cumberland UMC, was a pivotal influence in his life. He graduated from South Carolina State College in 1968 and served as a public school teacher in South Carolina. In 1969, he was employed by Cumberland UMC as a community developer in the first wave of the Black Community Developers program of the General Board of Global Ministries.
In 1970, Marcus was selected by the Ford Foundation’s Leadership Development Program to conduct a year-long study of religious institutions such as the Delta Project in Mississippi, The UMC General Commission on Religion and Race, and a project with juveniles in Syracuse, NY.
He enrolled at Wesley Theological Seminary in 1971 and served as a student intern at Douglas Memorial UMC for a year. He became an assistant pastor at Asbury UMC in Washington, where he continued as associate for two years after his graduation from Wesley.
From 1976 to 1982, he served as pastor of Jones Memorial UMC in Washington, DC, where he oversaw the building of a new sanctuary and established a community development program. In 1981, he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from New York Theological Seminary. He was pastor of Epworth Chapel UMC in Baltimore, from 1982 to 1986, when, during his pastorate, Epworth received 272 new members.
In 1986, he became District Superintendent of the Baltimore East District and in 1991 was named Conference Council Director, a position he held until being named Washington West District Superintendent in 1999.
During his ministry, Bishop Matthews served on the General Commission on Religion and Race, General Council on Ministries, Africa University Development Committee, World Methodist Council Executive Committee, National Council Directors Executive Committee, Circuit Rider Award Selection Committee, and the Northeast Jurisdiction Multi-Ethnic Center Board. In 2004 he was elected Co-Chair of the Endorsing Committee, The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The UMC. He was elected in 2005 to the Board of Directors of Africa University. Subsequent to his election as Bishop, he was named in 2005 to serve on the Council of Bishops’ Executive Committee.
Bishop Matthews is married to Barbara Walker Matthews and they have two children, Jaime S. Matthews and Marci Michael, and three grandchildren. His other interests include movies, reading, jogging, and playing with his grandchildren.
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