Rev. A. Ayana Newton is the daughter of Gerri and Jesse Newton and the sister of Christopher P. Newton. Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, she is a proud graduate of Morgan State University with a B.S. in Computer Science, and a minor in Mathematics. Rev. Newton is also a graduate of Payne Theological Seminary (Wilberforce, OH) with a Master of Divinity degree and is currently working on her Doctor of Ministry degree at Payne.
Joining in 1994, Rev. Ayana served in numerous leadership capacities at First AME Church (Gaithersburg, MD), eventually becoming the youth minister in 2003 at the appointment of Rev. Barbara Y. Glenn, serving in that capacity over 13 years. Other ministries that showcased her gifts and passions were the music ministry, discipleship ministry, YPD, and the Women’s Missionary Society. She preached her initial sermon “Actions speak louder than words” in July 2001, under the pastorate of Rev. Charles D. Smithat First AME.
In April 2016, Rev. Newton was appointed the 2ndPastor of Living Water AME Church in Stafford, VA, where she served with gladness. She was recently appointed pastor of Jerusalem AME in Clinton, Maryland. Rev. Newton has a passion for ministry and equipping God’s people to live out the purpose and potential that God has placed within. For her, Ephesians 3:7 (NLT) says it best,“by God’s special favor and mighty power, I have been given the wonderful privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.”