Circuit judge resigns to do religious work

She will bring food and Bibles to Palestinians.

By COLLEEN JENKINS, Times Staff Writer
Published January 25, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT Monica Sierra, 41, had begun an unpaid, three-month leave to Israel in December.

TAMPA - Hillsborough Circuit Judge Monica Sierra announced her resignation Thursday, less than one month into her sabbatical to Israel and one year shy of completing her first term on the bench.

A lifelong Tampa resident, Sierra is giving up her $145,000-a-year job to bring food and Bibles to Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank.

The resignation takes effect Feb. 1.

In phone conversations this week with Chief Judge Manuel Menendez, Sierra said the unpaid, three-month leave she began in late December was not long enough to fulfill her commitment to the Living Bread International Church mission.

Menendez said that "after a considerable amount of soul searching and reflection," Sierra decided to devote herself to the work long-term.

"After talking to her, it's clear to me that she feels this to be her calling," Menendez said.

Living Bread International Church is a nondenominational organization that provides humanitarian aid and weekly church services for refugees. Sierra, 41, is helping create an administrative network to facilitate wider relief efforts.

"Terrorism is born in the heart of the refugee camps," Sierra wrote to her colleagues last year. "The Word of God is a powerful weapon that America can use to fight terrorism. His Word, directed into the heart of terrorism, will bring transformation to the world."

Sierra could not be reached for comment Thursday. She faced re-election this fall and had signaled her intent to run.

Colleen Jenkins can be reached at cjenkins@sptimes.com or 813 226-3337.

[Last modified January 24, 2008, 23:46:22]