She's Got The Spirit

Created on Wednesday, 28 September 2011 19:13

Written by Deidre Pike

One of Reno's few female pastors talks about finding a community of faith.

As a young girl, Denise Cordova felt something that she now considers a calling from God to be a spiritual leader. But her family was Catholic.

"I thought it would never be possible for me to be a priest," she says.

Even if she had been a Protestant, few opportunities existed for women to serve as pastors in an environment where the biblical suggestion that "women should keep silent in church" was taken literally.

Things haven't changed much. In Reno, you can almost count the women ministers and rabbis on one hand.

And, after Denise Cordova, pastor of Metropolitan Community Church in Reno, gave her farewell sermon Sunday evening, the ranks narrowed even more.

When you first meet Cordova, 45, you might mistake her for being soft-spoken. She's surely mild-mannered, with a big easy smile, warm brown eyes and longish dark hair. A gold necklace with a "Jesus" pendant worn over a silky teal blouse marks her as an enthusiast right off. When she gets to talking about people's relationships with God, she lights up like kerosene-soaked kindling.

"I'd like for people to know how important it is that each of us work on our one-to-one relationship with God," she says. "Every human being--regardless of whether that person is a pastor, a bishop, or any other type of religious leader--has a personal bias toward certain things. That's why I believe we have an obligation to ourselves to search through Scripture, to pray, to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to our own conclusions of who God is and who God loves. I believe God has chosen all of us to be his children. And it's up to us to choose God."

Cordova's own spiritual journey included a couple of decades spent looking for community of believers that would accept her.

Read more: She's Got The Spirit

Double Duty

Created on Wednesday, 28 September 2011 19:01

Written by Rory Dowd

Rev. Denise Cordova waits calmly for me as I walk into the sanctuary of Temple Sinai, which also serves as the pulpit for Rev. Cordova's sermons every Sunday. Cordova, who moved to Reno from Rocky Ford, Colo., in 1985, is active in both the gay and lesbian community and in the spiritual community. She has been a member of the Metropolitan Community Church since 1992 and became pastor of the local branch, MCC of the Sierra, five years ago. 

When not preaching, she handles insurance claims for the the Nevada Attorney General's office. Although these seem like very different duties, Cordova sees both jobs as important contributions to her community. "I get to help people become empowered to become their best selves," she says. "That's what we're all supposed to be doing."
What does a pastor do?

A pastor preaches, leads the congregation in worship. I believe a pastor should be bringing the good news to everyone. I perform weddings and holy unions. And I do funerals as well. I pray a lot.

Read more: Double Duty