Warner H. Brown Jr.'s ministerial career had its humble beginning at Ames Memorial United Methodist Church in West Baltimore, where he preached his first sermon at the age of 13.
Now he's set to take a larger stage, when he begins serving next month as the United Methodist bishop for the Denver area.
Brown, 53, was elected last month as one of 13 new bishops in the 8.5-million member denomination.
A 1964 graduate of City College, Brown earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park before attending Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington. He served as a pastor in Washington and Pittsburgh before moving to the San Francisco area.
Brown's wife, Minnie, is also a Baltimore native. She attended Mount Moriah Baptist Church in West Baltimore and is a graduate of Douglass High School.
Brown, who like all United Methodist bishops is elected for life, will initially serve a four-year term in the Denver-area conference, which includes 110,000 Methodists in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Montana.
