Davis, Judith “Judy” Bors
Rev. Judith “Judy” B. Davis is a Global Missionary with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries. She is the Pastor for International Ministry, La Siesta Evangelical Church in Alicante, Spain.
Judy considers herself a bridge builder across cultural, ecumenical and social boundaries. As a child born with a physical disability, she faced challenges of growing up in a world that was not always welcoming to one who was considered “different” from the expected norm.
“Thanks to the nurture of loving, faithful adults in my life,” she said, “I developed a compassionate heart for those who are marginalized by society. I was inspired by the vision of God’s church as a body of many members – diverse, unique and valued. As I grew in faith, and through the witness of Christian role models, I learned the importance of ‘coming alongside of’ others in loving service, regardless of social or cultural barriers.”
Judy’s first career was as a pediatric physical therapist. For many years, she served children with disabilities in underserved communities in inner-city Baltimore, then in rural North Carolina. With a growing desire to tackle issues of disability and stigma on a broader scale, she completed a master’s degree in public health.
She and her husband Tom felt God’s call to serve in the Dominican Republic as public health missionaries with a faith-based organization. “During our four years in the Dominican Republic,” Judy said, “I launched a community-based rehabilitation project to support children with disabilities and their families in their homes and local communities.”
Upon returning to the U.S., Judy and Tom settled into a small mountain community in North Carolina. “I found my spiritual home in a vibrant United Methodist congregation,” she said. In my continuing work as a physical therapist, I was given unique entrance into the lives of children and families, many facing significant challenges. My hands and skills were tools to offer physical healing; yet, my words and presence offered care that went beyond the physical healing. In time, I became increasingly drawn to the spiritual significance of my work.”
Judy’s pastor nudged her toward teaching, leading youth ministry and lay speaking. Gradually, she discerned a clear sense of call to ordained ministry. Judy entered seminary as a second-career student, with the blessing and support of her husband and two young children.
“My passion for cross-cultural ministry remained strong throughout seminary,” she said. “I was chosen to join a mission team in partnership between the North Carolina Conference and the Methodist Church of Peru, which further affirmed my understanding that my role as an ordained minister would be as a unifying bridge between people and churches of differing cultures and experiences, on behalf of God’s love.”
During Judy’s 15 years of pastoral ministry within the Western North Carolina Conference, she served churches of varying sizes and contexts, encouraging them to respond meaningfully to the questions, “Who is my neighbor?” and “How is God calling us to walk alongside of them with love?”
In this season of Judy’s life, she sees God bringing things full circle. After spending seven years in ministry in Geneva, Switzerland, within a very diverse, global context, she is now transitioning to pastoral ministry with an ecumenically diverse congregation in Spain.
“My time in Geneva,” she said, “has greatly inspired and impacted my perspectives on mission as I’ve been serving with and among other Christians from around the world. I have been deeply touched by relationships and dialogues with beloved colleagues and friends from very different cultural and denominational upbringings from my own. I have grown in understanding – through first-hand accounts – of the many and complex ways the church is engaged throughout the world to be bearers of hope, justice and peace.”
As a missionary pastor in Spain, Judy hopes to combine her passion for ecumenical and cross-cultural ministry with her pastoral gifts for worship and preaching, spiritual formation, teaching and strengthening church-community connections.
“I have learned a great deal about the UMC’s role in the work of ecumenical dialogue and collaboration,” she said. “I have come to understand how necessarily different the landscape is in Europe and for faith communities, and I appreciate the cooperative and unifying spirit that is required to be in ministry.”