Reverend Maerena Williams Poole is the newly appointed pastor of Carter Community AME Church. Rev. Poole was the pastor of Allen AME Church in White Plains, NY from June 2019 to June 2022. Prior to relocating to New York, Rev. Poole proudly served as the first woman Pastor of the 214-year history of Historic Mt. Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church in Salem, New Jersey. While serving at Mt. Pisgah, Rev. Poole faithfully served the Salem community as Secretary of the Salem Health & Wellness Foundation Board and was recognized as the 2018 Salem County NAACP Religious Leader recipient. Prior to the Mt. Pisgah appointment, Rev. Poole was the first woman Pastor of Hubert AME Church in Frederica, Delaware. She also served as an associate minister at Bethel AME Church, Smyrna, Delaware, under the leadership of Reverend Walter E. Dixon. Prior to relocating to Delaware, Rev. Poole previously served as the full-time Executive Minister at Hunter Memorial AME Church in Suitland, Maryland under the tutelage of Rev. Dr. Harold B. Hayes, Jr. She also served the Hunter family in various capacities in the youth, women’s, teaching, prayer warriors, new members, and publications/multimedia ministries. Rev. Poole is also one of the founding members of New Liberation AME Church, Landover, Maryland. Rev. Poole is the very proud parent of one daughter, Mykaela Kiah Brevard, age 28.

Rev. Poole is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the oldest of five children. She attended the public schools there and graduated summa cum laude from the Philadelphia High School for Girls. She graduated from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, North Carolina in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering. While attending North Carolina A & T, she became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in November 1986. Rev. Poole also graduated from Howard University School of Divinity in 2003, earning a Master of Divinity Degree.

Rev. Poole loves serving the Lord and His people. She loves being able to be a blessing to others as God has so graciously been to her. Rev. Poole is a certified Secondary Mathematics teacher, presently teaching math at Isaac E. Young Middle School in New Rochelle, NY. Rev. Poole has been employed in various capacities, to include as a Patent Examiner with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer (Bomb Disposal) in the United States Army, where she last served as the first African American female commander of the 144th Ordnance (EOD) Detachment, Ft. Meade, Maryland. In this capacity she worked with the Secret Service protecting the President of the United States and other national and foreign dignitaries.

Rev. Poole received her license to preach on June 28, 1999, preached her initial sermon “Lost Trying to Find Myself” on September 5, 1999, was ordained an itinerate deacon on April 21, 2002, and was ordained an itinerate elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church on April24, 2004 by Bishop Vinton R. Anderson. Rev. Poole believes she is God’s continual work in progress learning from the past, perfecting the present, and anticipating the reward of the future.