Rev. Maressa Pendermon Speaks on Normalizing Grief and Creating a Toolbox for Emotional Well-being

In a world of inauthentic voices, it is refreshing to hear someone talk openly about grief and the journey forward after losing a loved one. Rev. Maressa Pendermon is such a voice as she shares her story on this episode of the podcast. This is a frank and generous conversation that also contains her thoughts on how losing her son has affected her work as a parish minister and hospice chaplain.  Reverend Maressa Pendermon is an ordained reverend in the Unity Fellowship Church Movement (UFCM) currently serving as senior pastor of Unity Fellowship of Christ Church, Greater Atlanta. She also works as a hospice chaplain, providing spiritual care for individuals living with a terminal diagnosis and their families. In addition, Reverend Pendermon is a community strategist as well as trained facilitator. She is passionate about social justice issues and does her work in community with traditionally marginalized and low wealth individuals and communities from a human rights perspective; and through a womanist theological lens. A native of Boston, Massachusetts where she was raised in public housing, Maressa has been involved in advocacy, organizing and coalition building since the early 80"s. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Albany State University; a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida, College of Law; and a Masters of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. She also holds facilitation and organizational development certifications from the Interaction Institute for Social Change in Cambridge, Massachusetts.