Uncrowned Community Builders

Reverend Violet Fisher is the second oldest of Deacon William Fisher and Holiness preacher Mrs. Virginia Fisher's five children. Bishop Fisher received two Master's Degrees, one in Education and the other in Divinity, as well as a Doctorate in Divinity. Called to be an evangelist, Bishop Fisher began preaching at the age of 16. Though her roots were in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the opportunity as an African American woman to preach and to be ordained was in the King's Apostle Holiness Church of God. In this movement, she served as National Evangelist and as a short-term missionary to Tanzania, Kenya, Jamaica, Uganda, and the Republic of Haiti. In 1969, when her missionary work began in Africa, few African American women were accepted in the mission field, especially in the interior of East Africa. These mission experiences fueled her heart and gave her a passion for foreign work, especially in ministering to women and children. Recently, she and her son, Marcus, helped rebuild the homes of families who had lost everything due to a natural disaster in the Dominican Republic.

In the 1950s when the Bishop received her call to preach and evangelize, African American women did not have the opportunity to support themselves financially as a professional clergyperson. Therefore, during these 20 years, she taught English at the junior high and senior high school levels in the Virginia and Maryland state public school systems.

In 1983, her journey in ministry brought her back to the church of her birth, and in 1988 she was ordained a deacon and in 1990 an elder in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church. Bishop Fisher served as pastor of St. Daniel's United Methodist Church in Chester, PA, and Sayers Memorial United Methodist Church in Philadelphia. From 1994 to July 2000, she served as district superintendent of the Mary McLeod Bethune District, and during her tenure on the district, was twice appointed dean of the bishop's cabinet.

Endorsed by the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church (UMC), the African American Clergy Women of the UMC, and the UMC Northeastern Jurisdictional Black Methodists for Church Renewal, Violet L. Fisher became the first African American woman to be elected to the episcopacy from the Northeastern Jurisdiction. Reflecting on her consecration in July 2000, Bishop Fisher stated, "This affirmation speaks to all women, especially women of color." Jurisdictional delegates commented after the election:

There is a sense of wonder and delight that a nontraditional leader was elected ... She is a very enthusiastic, energetic people-person with a strong spirit and strong leadership skills ... She knows the pulse of the people ... God anointed her bishop.

Bishop Fisher has general oversight and supervision of approximately 800 local churches and 1500 clergy in the New York West Area. The two annual conferences, North Central New York and Western New York, cover the western, central, and northern sections of New York State, extending from the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Pennsylvania border. As Resident Bishop, she is a trustee of Syracuse University and of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New York.

Bishop Fisher's awards include the Martin Luther King Freedom Award, Philadelphia Congress Stellar Service Award, National Sojourner Truth Meritorious Award, and The United Methodist Church Denman Evangelism Award. She was named Black United Methodist Preacher of the Year for the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church in 1993. Her publications include contributions to Women of Color Devotional Bible 2000.

Founder of the Interdenominational World Wide Women Ministers Alliance in 1978 with chapters in the Eastern part of the United States and Bermuda, her other community affiliations include membership in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Order of the Eastern Star, Lions Club of America; and the Professional Business Women's Association.

Within the structure of The United Methodist Church, she serves on the General Commission on Communication, continues her work with the General Board of Discipleship Committee on Older Adult Ministries, and remains a member of National Black Methodists for Church Renewal. In addition, Bishop Fisher represents the Council of Bishops on the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union. Twice a delegate to the World Methodist Conference, she previously served on the General Board of Church and Society and was Dean of the Northeastern Jurisdiction School of Evangelism.

As Resident Bishop of the New York West Area, Bishop Fisher is called "to serve this present age."