After 18 consecutive male pastors, Berry shattered the stained glass ceiling at age 34 when she became pastor of the Gilroy United Methodist Church in 2001.

Berry faced a steep learning curve from the moment she arrived. Her first six months included the tragedy of 9/11, an attack on her character in the local newspaper, threats of bodily harm left on the church answering machine, and the stress of parishioners undergoing kidney transplants, major surgeries, and terminal illness. Then, one parishioner was kidnapped and murdered. After, the woman's body was set on fire.

Berry's sensitivity, flexibility, and ability to roll with the punches proved to be a great asset.

"Alison won our hearts very quickly by her patience and grace under pressure," community activist Florence Trimble said.

With her deep sense of empathy, Berry quickly connected with people of all ages in all walks of life. She especially loved working with youth all over Gilroy, and not just church youth. She led young people on many community service projects, both local and long distance, including doing roofing work on the Hopi Indian Reservation in Arizona. She also recently helped set up a library, restore wells to working order, and bring much needed medical and school supplies to people in the islands of Tonga.

Berry was a former professional field hockey player for Spain and coached high school field hockey in Gilroy.

"Alison doesn't judge us based on anything we've done in the past," one high school student said. "She doesn't hold anything against us."

"With her, we start with a clean slate," another student said. "We can be ourselves. We don't have to 'act' a certain way or behave in a fake way to please her."

By being so down-to-earth and vulnerable herself, Berry was a breath of fresh air through her compassionate pastoring that brought the church out of the building and into the community to people wherever they might be.

"I feel the presence of God most when I'm in the middle of a crowded, busy street," Berry once said.

It's difficult to adequately convey what a pastor comes to mean to a church after eight years spent together through thick and thin.

Perhaps Bill Flodberg, who often went running with Berry, expressed it best: "When running with Alison, what you really learn about her is that she is there to connect with other people. She gives you time and isn't in a rush to dominate the conversation. She is willing to stick around. She doesn't always have to outdo your stories with a bigger fish story of her own.

"When she hugs you rather than just smiling or saying hello, there is an energy transfer that takes place, and you feel better about yourself. In this time of need for connecting and talking more with each other, her ability to connect with people has become even more important to our community and to the global village we are all a part of."

The theme of her final exam sermon when she was being ordained was "Making a new heaven and a new earth in which God's spirit of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience is at home." We were very fortunate to have this window of time here with Alison Berry on her journey through life. May we continue her compassionate work here in our community.

Kat Teraji Kat Teraji is communications coordinator for a large nonprofit that benefits women and children. Her column appears every Friday. You can reach her at kattoy@verizon.net.