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Overview
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| Record Creator: | Kelly, Leontine Turpeau Current | |
| Title: | Bishop Leontine Turpeau Current Kelly | |
| Dates: | 1967- 1996 | Click here to view the finding aid format suitable for requesting material at the Archives |
| Abstract: | Bishop Leontine Turpeau Current Kelly was the first African American Woman to be elected bishop, not only in the United Methodist Church, but in any major denomination. | |
| Extent: | 1.47 cu. feet | |
| Resource ID: | gcah.ms.2712 |
Bishop Leontine Turpeau Current Kelly was born on March 5, 1920 in Washington, D.C., to the Reverend David DeWitt Turpeau and Ila Mashall Turpeau.
The Washington Annual Conference elected Matthew Clair a bishop, the second African American to be elected bishop. Bishop Clair baptized Leontine Turpeau that day.
According to family narratives, Bishop Clair stated on this day, "Oh, how I wish you were a boy so that my mantle might fall upon you." Sixty years later, it did.
Leontine Kelly's life is rooted in Methodism. Her father and brother were both Methodist ministers. Kelly attended West Virginia State College for three years, but left to marry Gloster Bryant Current in 194l after her junior year. They had three children together before their divorce in the early 1950s.
In 1956,Leontine Kelly married Methodist minister James Kelly. She returned to college and completed her B.A. in 1960 at Virginia Union University, and took a position as a social studies teacher. Though Kelly was a certified lay speaker, she did not become a pastor until the death of her husband in 1969, when she accepted an invitation from Galilee Church to be his successor. In 1976 she obtained her master's of divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary, thus becoming an ordained minister.
From 1977 to 1983, Kelly was pastor of Asbury-Church Hill United Methodist Church in Richmond, Virginia. In 1983 she became the assistant general secretary of evangelism for the United Methodist General Board of Discipleship in Nashville.
Kelly received her doctor of divinity degree in 1984 from the Garrett Evangelical Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. In July 1984, Kelly and the Methodist Church made history when 64-year-old clergywomen was elected bishop of the California-Nevada Conference. Kelly thus became the first African American woman to be elected bishop, not only in the Methodist Church, but in any major denomination.
She also became the first woman to preach on the National Radio Pulpit, the first woman to serve as assistant general secretary of the Board of Discipleship's Evangelical Unit, and the only woman bishop to participate and be arrested in the Good Friday Livermore Weapons Laboratory protest in 1985. In 1956, Kelly became the first African American female bishop to address an international meeting of Methodists - the World Methodist Council in Nairobi.
Kelly retired in 1988 at the age of 68. She continued her work as a preacher, teacher, and social activist. Some of her numerous post- retirement activities include, serving as visiting professor of evangelism and witness for two years at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, and serving as adjunct professor at Pacific School of Religion and Hartford Seminary.
Continuing her social activism, Kelly became the president of the AIDS National Interfaith Network (ANIN) and president of the Interreligious Health Care ACCESS Campaign. On top of these numerous responsibilities Kelly maintained a full speaking and preaching schedule. Due to her active and historic service Kelly received more than ten honorary degrees, the Martin Luther King Drum Major for Justice award, the Grass Roots Leadership Award for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Ebony Magazine's Black Achievement Award in the area of religion. She was featured in Brian Lanker's book I Dream A World: Portraits of Black Women who have Changed America, as well as in Diana Hayes' book , And Still We Rise. Kelly was her inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York in October 2000.
Leontine Turpeau Current Kelly's personal papers include materials pertaining to her election as bishop to the California-Nevada Conference and her activities before and after her election. The collection includes a large number of correspondences related to speaking engagements, social concerns, and a variety of other topics including her election to be the first African American female bishop, personal correspondences, and awards. Also included in this collection are clippings, publications, awards, sermon materials and sheet music.
Materials have been arranged in the following manner.
Series: Correspondences
When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Leontine Turpeau Current. Kelly Collection, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor.
There are no restrictions regarding this collection.
Detailed use Restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required.
Accession: 1996- 069. United Methodist Bishops' Oral History Project
General Board of Global Ministries. Mission Education
General Board of Global Ministries. National Division.
| Call Number | Folder Title | Date(s) |
| 1554-3-3: 1 | General (Folder 1) | 1973-1987 |
| 1554-3-3: 2 | General (Folder 2) | 1988-1996 |
| 1554-3-3: 3 | Election as Bishop | 1983-1995 |
| 1554-3-3: 5 | Personal | 1982-1995 |
| 1554-3-3: 6 | Retirement | 1988-1993 |
| 1554-3-4: 1 | California-Nevada Conference | 1984-1985 |
| 1554-3-4: 2 | California-Nevada Conference | 1986 |
| 1554-3-4: 3 | California-Nevada Conference | 1987 |
| 1554-3-4: 4 | California-Nevada Conference | 1988-1994 |
| Call Number | Folder Title | Date(s) |
| 1554-3-2: 6 | Abortion | 1987 |
| 1554-3-2: 7 | AIDS | 1987-1988 |
| 1554-3-2: 8 | Ethnic Minorities and Race Relations | 1986-1996 |
| 1554-3-2: 9 | General Social Concerns | 1988-1996 |
| 1554-3-2: 10 | Grape Boycott | 1986-1988 |
| 1554-3-2: 11 | Health Care | 1993-1996 |
| 1554-3-2: 12 | Homelessness | 1987-1993 |
| 1554-3-2: 13 | Homosexuality | 1987-1988 |
| 1554-3-2: 14 | Infant Formula | 1985-1987 |
| 1554-3-2: 15 | Labor | 1993-1994 |
| 1554-3-2: 16 | Peace Movement | 1985-1996 |
| Call Number | Folder Title | Date(s) |
| 1554-3-1: 1 | Correspondences (Folder 1) | 1979-1987 |
| 1554-3-1: 2 | Correspondences (Folder 2) | 1988-1992 |
| 1554-3-1: 3 | Correspondences (Folder 3) | 1993-1994 |
| 1554-3-1: 4 | Correspondences (Folder 4) | 1995-1996 |
| Call Number | Folder Title | Date(s) |
| 1554-3-2: 2 | News and Clippings | 1983-1995 |
| Call Number | Folder Title | Date(s) |
| 1554-3-1: 5 | Publications and Schedules (Folder 1) | 1983-1986 |
| 1554-3-1: 6 | Publications and Schedules (Folder 2) | 1987 |
| 1554-3-1: 7 | Publications and Schedules (Folder 3) | 1988-1992 |
| 1554-3-2: 1 | Publications and Schedules (Folder 4) | 1993-1996 |
| Call Number | Folder Title | Date(s) |
| 1554-3-2: 3 | Sermon Material | 1985-1996 |
| 1554-3-2: 4 | Sheet Music | 1967-1985 |
| 1554-3-2: 5 | Awards | 1986-1988 |
