Gardena resident Larry H. Dozier has been elected president of the United Methodist Men organization for the Western Jurisdiction, one of five such positions in the United Methodist Church, and the only African American among the five presidents
As WJ president, he is responsible for overseeing the functions of the UMM organization in the western United States, plus the supervision, support, and training of the eight Annual Conference presidents within the jurisdiction.
Gardena resident Larry H. Dozier has been elected president of the United Methodist Men organization for the Western Jurisdiction, one of five such positions in the United Methodist Church, and the only African American among the five presidents
As WJ president, he is responsible for overseeing the functions of the UMM organization in the western United States, plus the supervision, support, and training of the eight Annual Conference presidents within the jurisdiction.
The WJ comprises eight Annual Conferences, which includes 1,713 churches and 340,000 parishioners. The jurisdiction encompasses nine contiguous states plus the Hawaiian Islands, Guam and Saipan. Its boundaries run west from the eastern most boundaries of Colorado to the islands of Hawaii, Guam and Saipan and from the northern most part of Alaska to Arizona.
“I’m excited about working with United Methodist Men,” Dozier says. “Because when men get involved with church, so do their families. One study commissioned by the UMM found that when men join a church the rest of the family follows 93 percent of the time. Working with men is a very efficient way to win individuals to Christ. Ultimately that’s our goal.”
Before being elected president of the WJ, Dozier served as the California-Pacific Annual Conference UMM president and prior to that as president of the former Long Beach District (now the West District). He has also served as second vice president of the National Association of Conference President (NACP). He serves currently on the board of the General Commission on United Methodist Men’s (GCUMM), headquartered in Nashville.
Dozier holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Kensington University, an associate arts degree in broadcasting from Los Angeles City College, and has participated in the public relations certificate program at UCLA. He was one of the first graduates of the relatively new, Certified Lay Minister programs at Claremont University.
Dozier is a member of Hollypark United Methodist Church in Gardena, where he serves as Lay Leader. He’s the treasurer of the Hollypark UMM group and is responsible for forming the group’s male chorus. He preaches regularly at the church and is often called upon to preach within the Cal-Pac Annual Conference.
Before retiring from the US Postal Service in 2009, Dozier managed the public relations function and was the official spokesperson for the organization in the Los Angeles basin. He’s made appearances on all major radio and TV stations in LA and many across the nation. He’s had stories published in most major newspapers, and in Jetand People magazines.
Dozier was the first African American to manage the public relations function for the Postal Service in Los Angeles.
He enjoys golf and plays at every opportunity. A fitness buff, Dozier jogs regularly and has completed 15 Los Angeles Marathons. He also enjoys singing and theater. He sings tenor and sometimes lead for the male chorus at his church and has performed with the Cornerstone Theater Group in Los Angeles at the Mark Taper Forum.
Dozier and his wife, Erma, have one adult daughter, Tamra. They are foster parents and have reared more than 75 children in their home over the past 30 years.
Dozier says his number one objective is to make sure that each Annual Conference has an active men’s president and full cabinet. “Team work is essential if we want to be successful. The job is too big to go it alone,” he said.
