| Rev. Yvette Flunder founded the City of Refuge Community Church UCC in 1991 in order to unite a gospel ministry with a social ministry. City of Refuge is a thriving inner-city congregation that celebrates the radically inclusive love of Jesus Christ. Preaching a message of action, the church has experienced steady numerical and spiritual growth and is now located in the south of Market area of San Francisco at 1025 Howard Street.
A native San Franciscan, Rev. Flunder is a third generation preacher with roots in the Church of God in Christ. She was licensed in the COGIC and later ordained by the Bishop Walter Hawkins of Love Center Ministries where she served as Associate Pastor and administrator for the Oakland-based Love Center Church. In 1984 Rev. Flunder began performing and recording with "Walter Hawkins and the Family" and the Love Center Choir. Rev. Flunder is also an ordained Minister of the United Church of Christ and a graduate of the Ministry Studies and Master of Arts programs at the Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California. She received a Doctor of Ministry degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo California.
In June 2003 Rev. Flunder was consecrated Presiding Bishop of Refuge Ministries/Fellowship 2000 a multi-denominational fellowship of 50+ primarily African American Christian leaders and laity representing churches and faith-based organizations from all parts of the country and Africa.
Responding to the needs of the AIDS epidemic, Rev. Flunder and her staff opened Hazard-Ashley House and Walker House in Oakland and Restoration House in San Francisco through the Ark of Refuge, Inc., a non-profit agency which provides housing, direct services, education and training for persons affected by HIV/AIDS in the Bay Area, throughout the USA and in three countries in Africa. Restoration House is a dual-diagnosis residential facility for African-American women and the first of its kind in San Francisco. Walker House is licensed by the State of California as a Critical Care Facility. The Ark provides HIV/AIDS education and prevention services targeting the African American and African faith community. The Ark recently opened, in collaboration with AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the Magic Johnson Clinic to provide primary medical care services. The Ark also provides substance abuse intervention programs, transitional housing for homeless youth, mentorship programs and a computer lab and audio/video training for community youth.
Rev. Flunder serves as Executive Director of the Ark of Refuge, Inc., and a consultant to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Congressional Black Caucus Health Brain Trust and the Department of Health and Human Services. She also serves as chair of the Social Justice Commission for the World Bishop's Council and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Justice and Witness Ministry of the United Church of Christ.
Rev. Flunder has served as past President of the Board of Directors for the Northern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ, as a Board Member of the Shanti Project, as Chair of the San Francisco Inter-religious Coalition on AIDS, Chair of the Black Adoption Placement and Research Center, Founding member of the African American Interfaith Alliance on AIDS, Member of the Alameda County Ryan White Consortium, a member of the San Francisco HIV/AIDS Planning and Prevention Council, and as a Member of the California Ryan White Working Group. |