United Church in Tallahassee will affirm 'singing pastor' Kim Buchanan on Sunday

Rev. Dr. Kimberleigh Buchanan will be officially installed as pastor of the United Church in Tallahassee during the 10 a.m. worship service on Sunday, Feb. 26. UCT, at 1834 Mahan Drive, is an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ.

After a long search process, which occurred in part during the pandemic while the church was only conducting services virtually, Pastor Kim began her service to UCT in April 2022.

An installation is a three-way covenant between the congregation, the pastor, and the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ. It is a way for the church community to signify that they are opening their hearts to their pastor to work together in a covenantal relationship (like a marriage). The church congregation is voicing their commitment to support and nurture a productive relationship with their pastor.

Justice work

Pastor Kim Buchanan grew up in Newberry, in Alachua County. She felt called to ministry at age 17, but could not understand it as a call to ministry because her denomination did not ordain women in ministry. Instead, Buchanan earned a degree in music education and taught elementary school music for two years. After that, she headed to seminary to train for children’s ministry. It was during seminary that Buchanan awakened to her call to pastoral ministry.

Buchanan was ordained by a Baptist church in Atlanta, then soon moved to the United Church of Christ, which had ordained its first woman minister in 1853. Learning about the other strong commitments to justice work in the UCC— racial justice, LGBTQ justice, mental health justice, and gender justice — Buchanan knew she had, at last, found her denominational home.

“Dr. King once said that ‘justice is what love looks like in public.’ As a denomination, the United Church of Christ lives that out,” said Buchanan in preparation for her upcoming installation ceremony. “At UCT, we seek to follow Jesus by living justice, too. For us, following Jesus involves prayer, study, and worship. At the same time, we are called to actively share God’s love in the world. For us, prayer and justice are two sides of the same coin.”

Singing together

Among the many ways UCT’s members live justice is by singing together. With Buchanan’s music education, instrumental, and songwriting background, Pastor Kim is truly “the singing pastor.” She recently spoke of how the music and faith of those working for justice during the Civil Rights era changed the world for the better.

“I still believe in the power of song — especially, in faith communities — to transform the world,” she said. Since Buchanan’s arrival, UCT has begun a weekly Song Circle. (Join them at the church every Wednesday at 1 p.m.)

Kim’s husband of 27 years, Allen Mullinax, also brings many gifts to the United Church in Tallahassee. Allen is also an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and he and Kim met during seminary.

Prior to coming to Tallahassee, Buchanan pastored churches in Marietta, Georgia, and Asheville, North Carolina. Although initially puzzled about why God would call a Gator to serve a church in Tallahassee, after living here for 10 months, Buchanan says she couldn’t be happier.

“Florida is home for me. I love the trees, the wildlife, the Spanish moss. I also love working with the good folks at United Church. Following Jesus — in worship, fellowship, and justice work—with UCT is a profound blessing,” she said.

The United Church in Tallahassee congregation is equally as excited to officially affirm Buchanan as pastor of their church.

'Remarkable gifts'

“Pastor Kim brings her remarkable gifts of joy, humor, music, social justice, pastoring and preaching as we prepare to celebrate our church’s 50-year anniversary,” said Peter Butzin, one of the UCT’s original founders and current moderator of the Board of Stewards. “As an ordained minister, I also especially appreciate her Biblical studies background. She is a polished and effective leader for meetings and discussions.”

Erica Moore, UCT member of the Pastoral Relations Committee, recently grew her family and her twin son and daughter were baptized by Pastor Kim. She said, “Pastor Kim’s compassionate research into the lives of this new generation of African Americans was so touching to my family and friends that several of my non-believer friends have remarked on what a fantastic pastor she is. Some have said they could go to church if she was their pastor.”

During the Feb. 26 installation service, Rev. Leslie Etheredge will be representing the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ during the installation. She was extremely helpful in working with the UCT Search Committee throughout their entire search process, and an installation is an important event for a church, a conference, and the local community. The UCT congregation invites the Tallahassee community and representatives from other churches to be present as they are able.

As Erica Moore continued about Pastor Kim’s encouraging leadership, “She sees us. She hears us. She shows love towards us. We are looking forward to growing as Christians with her shepherding. And we simply love her and Allen. UCT fits her.”

For more information visit uctonline.org.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: United Church in Tallahassee will affirm new pastor Kim Buchanan