Clergywoman and social justice advocate, LK Pendleton, affectionately referred to as Pastor K is an ordained elder, serving under appointment in the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.   She is the pastor of Red Oak UMC, Stockbridge, Ga who has preached and ministered throughout the United States and Africa for faith communities and civic organizations.  ​She accepted her call to ministry early in life and was ordained an elder in the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist church in 2003. She has served in pastoral ministry for twenty-four years. Her pastoral assignments include serving as associate pastor at Central United Methodist Church, Atlanta Georgia.   She is the founding pastor of the Redemption Community, A United Methodist Congregation, and is the first African American woman in the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church to charter a congregation. She served The New Prospect UMC, Buford, GA where as pastor, she was the first woman and first person of color. She was invited to serve St. Mary’s Road UMC in Columbus, GA where she was appointed as the first female pastor. She was Faith Organizing Director at New Georgia Project a voting rights initiative started by Stacey Abrahams, where she worked with faith leaders and faithful people across the state of Georgia to help organize and build political power in their communities.   She believes that when you involve communities of faith in doing the work of justice, we are responding to Jesus’ great commission to go into the world and do what we are called to do as followers of Jesus Christ. She was a program associate at the ITC/Faithfactor, a presidential initiative of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, GA.  She has served as an instructor for the North Georgia United Methodist Pastoral Ministry School and as an instructor for contextual education at the ITC. Pastor K has served in various leadership positions in both the South and North Georgia conferences of the United Methodist Church and the community. In her interest in social justice work, inform her calling as a local pastor to effectively address a broad range of social issues including voting rights advocacy, struggles for economic and racial justice in ways tat are reflective, practical relational and faithful.   She has and serves on various boards and agencies.  She has received various awards for her work in community justice.  During her leadership as President of the Columbus Branch of the NAACP, she inherited a branch that was under administratorship.  The sanction was lifted after two months and restored to full capacity. The branch partnered with the Southern Center for Human Rights for the successful release of a former Georgia Death-row prisoner after serving 43 years for a murder he did not commit.  Also, the branch participated in electing the first African American Sheriff of Muscogee County and bearing to light the egregious performance of the district attorney’s office that resulted in the election of a new district attorney. Under her leadership, the branch increased in membership by thirty percent.  She is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC), Atlanta, GA, and The Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA. She has one adult daughter, Amber Cierra.  Together they engage in collaborative writing activities blending traditional thought with modern perspectives.   She is the author of two books; “Say You Want To Be Married? No You Don’t!” which takes a contemplative look at marriage. and, The L3Xperience which explains what it means to become a new creation in Christ Jesus. Her life’s inspirational quote is, Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.  James Baldwin.