Pastor

V. Jean McBride

Rev. V. Jean McBryde, known affectionately as Jean, was born in Laurinburg, NC to
Mary Catherine Monroe. She grew up in rural Maxton, NC on a farm and attended
Burlington Elementary School. At age 13 she and her siblings moved to Mount Vernon,
NY and matriculated through the Mount Vernon New York school system. She
graduated from Mount Vernon High School on June 24, 1973 earning a scholarship in
Liberal Arts to Iona College in New Rochelle. However, she chose to enter the
workforce and started working at the US Postal Service one day prior to graduating
where she worked for 37 years. Twenty of those years were as a service professional in
marketing. Jean obtained extensive training in teaching and customer service. She
retired in May of 2010.
Jean was raised in the Mt. Zion Methodist Church in Maxton, NC and one year later in
April 1969, after moving to Mount Vernon, she attended a Palm Sunday service and
upon hearing a poignant message preached by the late Bishop J. Clinton Hoggard she
joined the Greater Centennial A.M.E. Zion Church pastored by the late Rev. Dr. Belvie
H. Jackson, Jr.
Jean entered ministry in 1986 under the leadership of the late Rev. Sim Wilson, Jr. and
was ordained in October, 1989. Jean served as Assistant Pastor of the First Church of
the Christ Mind, Inc. until July, 1992. In April, 1993, on Palm Sunday, she returned to
her home church and rededicated her life back to membership at the Greater
Centennial A.M.E. Zion Church still under the leadership of Dr. Belvie H. Jackson, Jr.
however, in June of the same year Rev. W. Darin Moore, now Bishop Moore, became
the Pastor.
In 2006, she moved her membership to A.M.E. Zion Church of Newburgh under the
leadership of Rev. Twila Rucker-Caines. In February of 2008, Jean preached her trial
sermon and became a Local Preacher with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion
Church and serves at the AME Zion Church of Newburgh.  She is furthered her training
in ministry with the Westchester District and New York Annual Conference. She has
served in the preaching ministry for 30+ years.
She is a Girl Scout Leader in Mount Vernon NY for Troop#1634. This troop was
selected to sing at the mayoral swearing in where the late Ruby Dee was the guest
speaker. Ms. Dee spoke of the excellence of this brownie troop and how proud it made
her to be in their presence.
Rev. V. Jean McBryde, Jean was called to pastor at the Wickham Methodist Church in
Port Jervis, NY in 2013 and was installed August 10, 2014. She is a strong believer in
the scriptures and prayer. Teaching is her gift area and this she loves doing it. She
believes that if you learn a good thing, you just cannot keep it to yourself, you must
share it. Giving is reciprocal. One of her favorite scriptures is, “Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 2:5. Jean is the proud mother of two
daughters Kali, and Monifa and grandmother of Michaela and Mikko.