Rev. Brenda Hunt

Rev. Brenda Hunt (she/her), an ordained minister in the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC), was born on April 5, 1948, in Boonville, Indiana, to Norma Jean Brown Hunt and Leevern Jacob Hunt, who loved her dearly and supported her call to ministry. She began her ministerial journey in the 1970s as a member of the newly founded UFMCC in Los Angeles, where she was licensed as clergy, served on staff at the denomination’s Mother Church, and was later ordained in 1980.

As a young child in Indiana, Brenda enjoyed the simple joys of life: eating Neapolitan ice cream with a wooden spoon, sharing popcorn, and laughing with her sisters, whom she loved dearly. She preached lovingly about her memory of her mother holding her hand as she got her ears pierced; Rev. Hunt’s ministry was similarly full of empathy, care, and presence within her congregations.

Brenda cultivated a glimmering talent for writing and public speaking early in life through her participation in the debate team at Paramount High School where she won many trophies and statewide recognition before graduating in 1966. Rev. Hunt studied at Compton Junior College and worked as a Licensed Psychiatric Technician in southern California and later further refined her theological training at Union Theological Seminary. Her pastoral ministry began at the Mother Church of the Metropolitan Community Churches in Los Angeles in the 1970’s and led her to congregations in Minneapolis-St. Paul (All God’s Children MCC), MCC Detroit (1979-1984), MCC Baton Rouge (1986-1988), Fort Worth-Agape MCC (1989-2001), and MCC Windsor, Canada.

Rev. Hunt was an advocate for civil and human rights and was a fierce activist while also embodying warmth and care. She often wore a safety pin on her clothing as a quiet but unmistakable sign: she was a safe place for anyone who needed one. Throughout her ministry, Rev. Hunt was known for her fearless preaching and loving leadership. She fully believed that, “Love is always stronger than hate,” calling her congregations to act with courage, compassion, and conviction. She responded to hatred aimed toward her congregations with courage. Even as she acknowledged fear—whether in herself or in the world around her—she never let it dictate her message. Instead, she stood with and for others, saying: “When you stand up for somebody—for somebody else—for whatever reason—I’ll stand with you” (Taken from a sermon preached by Rev. Hunt, on Nov. 13, 2016 at FCC Perris).

In addition to embodying care and advocating for human rights, Rev. Hunt displayed tremendous resilience, including enduring 41 surgical staples across her body—a testament to the physical and emotional strength she bore in silence and in service. Her commitment to service brought her out of retirement twice, to take the pulpit at First Congregational Church of Perris, California and Menifee UCC and later at Menifee UCC until her health could no longer support it, remaining committed to the spiritual care of her communities until the very end. 

Rev. Brenda Hunt died on February 6, 2025. Her love lives on in the many communities she pastored and nurtured, and through her wife, Rev. Teri Trombley (retired), her sisters, and her many nieces and nephews. Her memory endures in the lives she touched and the truth she preached: that love—always—outlasts fear.

"Divine, help me give to others that which has been given to me… this day, every day." – Rev. Brenda Hunt ("In Memoriam: Rev. Brenda Hunt")

(This biographical statement written by Arturo Williams from the sources below.)

Biography Date: May 2025

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