Rev. Cynthia J. Abrams

Biography

The Rev. Cynthia J. Abrams serves as Program Director of Alcohol, Other Addictions, and Health Care for the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society (GBCS).

Cynthia was born and raised on and near the Cattaraugus Reservation of the Seneca Nation of Indians in Western New York state. She moved to California as an adult and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at the California State University at Long Beach in Broadcast Journalism and her Master of Divinity at the Claremont School of Theology.

Cynthia is a clergy member of the California Pacific Annual Conference. She served local pastorates from 1993-1999 and served nationally in the church as a board member of the General Board of Discipleship and United Methodist Communications.

From 1999 through 2003, Cynthia served as the Executive Director of the National United Methodist Native American Center. On staff as a layperson at the Native American UMC of Southern California, she administered the church-sponsored outreach center for American Indian substance abusers in the City of Los Angeles.

Cynthia considers her formative years within the Four Corners UMC, her staff work at the Native American UMC, and her 1984 Ethnic Local Church Young Adult Internship at GBCS to be instrumental in teaching her to live a life grounded in a deep faith and close relationship with Jesus Christ. She believes that life is lived out by working for systemic God-centered change in our world through acts of justice and mercy.

Program Area

Health and Wholeness

Health in its fullest and most complete sense is Wholeness. The Bible expresses this Wholeness with the word "Shalom," which encompasses every facet of health, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, both of the individual and of the community.

Read more about Health and Wholeness issues.

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