Overview: Betty Hanna-Witherspoon, a city planner turned pastor, spent over forty years in urban social planning and government agencies before becoming an ordained deacon and elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. She served multiple churches in California and Kansas-Nebraska, and was the first female pastor of three congregations. Hanna-Witherspoon was also active in community affairs and served as a Conference Trustee and Board of Examiners. She retired as a pastor in September 2019 and will be celebrated in a memorial service in August 2025.
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The Memorial/Celebration of life service for Reverend Dr. Betty Hanna Witherspoon is scheduled for August 29, 2025, beginning at 2pm, at St. Paul AME Church, 1355 W. 21st Street, San Bernardino, CA 92411.
Betty Hanna-Witherspoon was born to Willie and Pauline Witherspoon in 1945, in Baltimore, Maryland. She grew up with her sisters Bernell Witherspoon Dorman and Delores Witherspoon Knox (deceased). The family was a traditional happy southern family where many celebrations were held with great food and lots of relatives. She attended the public schools of Baltimore and received scholarships to attend Goucher college. She was very active in public school extracurricular activities, participating in oratorical contests, school government and clubs.
While working a summer job, Betty became interested in city planning. Her first career was as a city planner for the Baltimore Department of City Planning rising from planning assistant to city planner. She then moved to the Regional Planning Council and later used her administrative skills to work in many nonprofit and government agencies in Missouri, Illinois, and California.
Betty was blessed to be a part of the sixties generation. She participated in Civil Rights marches, BAYOU, the Poor People’s Campaign, and was among ten African Americans who entered Goucher (then a women’s college) in 1962. Betty started her family during this time giving birth to Pamela, Eric, and later Franklin. It was a busy time as she moved with her then husband across the country from Baltimore—through a series of ministerial appointments—to California, where the marriage ended and a second season of life began for her.
In this season, Betty was a single mom who reared her children, watched them reach adulthood and choose their own paths, all while working for the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, Fair Housing Council of the San Fernando Valley, Rosa Parks Sexual Assault Crisis Center, INFOLINE and on occasio as a substitute teacher. During this time, she completed her Master of Science in Community Development, a Certificate in Feminist (womanist) Spirituality and Doctor of Ministry.
All of these experiences were preparation for her third season. Betty had always been active in church. She grew up in Enon Baptist Church in Baltimore, singing in the Power Hour Choir, participating in the Sunday School, VBS, and BTU. She joined the AME Church when her husband became a minister in the AME Church. She was active in her local church, WARD AME, LA and in the WMS. As she moved on to examine her spiritual life and grew in her relationship with God, she felt the call of God in her life and sought ordination in the AME Church. The years had given her loving children, challenging work, excellent education, travel opportunities and expanded horizons. She loved books, theater, and travel. God moved her on.
Fourth Season – The Ministry: Rev. Dr. Betty Hanna-Witherspoon
Pastor Betty Hanna-Witherspoon is an itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Ordained a deacon and elder in the Southern California Conference by Bishop Vinton R. Anderson, she served over twenty fourth years of itinerancy and over thirty years of ministry. Her home church was Ward, Los Angeles, where she accepted her call to ministry under the leadership of the Reverend Doctor Frank Madison Reid, III.
Pastor Betty served Turner AME Church in Culver City; now merged with Emmanuel to become Emmanuel-Turner, LA, Allen Chapel, San Bernardino, and First, Indio in the Southern California Conference. God blessed the work at each of the charges resulting in capital improvements, spiritual and membership growth.
Pastor Betty was transferred to the Kansas-Nebraska Conference in 2002 by Bishop John Richard Bryant and appointed to Bethel, Hutchinson where work was completed on the infrastructure of the church and she was an active part of the community’s civic, ecumenical, and social action groups. She was transferred to Bethel, Leavenworth, by Bishop John R. Bryant, and served the congregation for five years; including its 150th Anniversary Year in which the then, newly appointed presiding prelate, Bishop T. Larry Kirkland, blessed the Communion at the Anniversary Year’s closing service. Again, at Bethel, Leavenworth, Pastor was active in ecumenical and community affairs.
Pastor Betty was transferred and appointed to Ebenezer, KCMO in 2009, by Bishop T. Larry Kirkland. It was the third time in her ministry that she was the first female pastor of a congregation. She served the Connection as Dean of the Midwest Conference and Conference Trustee while shepherding Ebenezer through a period of regeneration. She gave God the glory for the work done at Ebenezer in those five years.
Pastor Betty was transferred and appointed to Primm Tabernacle, Pomona, in October 2014, where once again, she was the first female pastor. She served on the Conference Trustees, Board of Examiners, and the 5th District WIM Executive Board. Rev. Dr. Betty retired as a Pastor from Primm in September 2019.
For more than forty years, Pastor Betty worked as an urban social planner and government and social agency executive and she also maintained her consulting firm, The QPT Organization. Among Dr. Betty’s many contributions to the community was her service as “prayer warrior” for the St. Paul AME Caregivers.
Rev. Dr. Betty was educated at Goucher College (BA in Economics), the University of Pennsylvania and Southern Illinois University Carbondale in City Planning receiving the professional degree Master of Science in Community Development; the Immaculate Heart College Center (the Certificate in Feminist Spirituality); and the United Methodist related School of Theology in Claremont where she received the Doctor of Ministry.