hen the Rev. Sandra Bonnette-Kim, the new pastor at First United Methodist Church, first came to meet her new congregation in August, she felt embraced and welcome by it.

Bonnette-Kim, 39, is the first female pastor the church has had since it was first established in 1793. A Korean-born immigrant who grew up in Canada, she is also the first minority pastor that has led the church, which is the oldest Methodist society in Massachusetts that has not merged with another Methodist or other denomination in the state.

"I'm the first minority female pastor in the history of the church, and that wasn't even an issue," said Bonnette-Kim. "People were very open and welcoming."

Now, two months after Bonnette-Kim officially took over the church, she plans to continue the work by the previous pastor, the Rev. Curtis Brown, who left to be the director of congregational development for the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church.

While her goal is to continue the ministry within the church, in the community and around the world, Bonnette said she will work hard to keep the church inviting and accessible to everyone.

"I want our church to be an open church for people of all races, ages, sex orientation, and all backgrounds," she said. "I want them to feel they're welcome here and can come and minister with one another and feel welcome and grow in their faith."

Bonnette-Kim knows first-hand how churches can help parishioners strengthen their faith. While growing up in Montreal in the mid 1970s, she and her family, who had emigrated from Korea, attended a church every Sunday, which helped her develop a call to ministry.

But it took some time for Bonnette-Kim to answer the call. When she first told her dad, an accountant in Korea and a grocery store owner in Montreal, about her dream of becoming a pastor, he persuaded her to study something else.

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