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“You know you’re strong Lord. There is nothing that we can’t take
to God in prayer. I know I can trust in you, Lord. We commit
our situation to you. Our hearts may be broken or down, but
we’re going to say thank you Lord for making a way,” prayed
Rev. Barbie Harrison, an associate minister of Third Baptist
Church, during a prayer of commitment.
Musical selections were delivered by the community church’s own
music ministry several times throughout the service. Rev.
Emily Mitchell, the associate pastor at First Presbyterian
Church officially welcomed all attendees, and then various
women of faith delivered words of encouragement.
Paula Williams of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base’s Department of
Defense spoke about mentoring the mentor. Elder LaShanna
Alfred, an adjunct professor at the University of Toledo
spoke about taking your mature assertive nature back. Lorine
Bell, a member of Charity Baptist Church’s Missionary
Society spoke about purpose.
“These women of God spoke to me and I hope you received it, like I
did. Sister Bell talked about walking and understanding our
purpose, it may not be God’s plan, and there is a
difference,” explained Demetria Simpson, first lady of
Shiloh Baptist Church.
The service continued, as Sonya Peele, director of Women in Motion
in Akron, Ohio served as the service speaker. Peele is a
marriage and relationship author and entrepreneur. She
founded, Work It to Win It, an organization that provides
leadership for all women. She delivered her message by
focusing on the Biblical book of Psalms, the 91st chapter,
verses one through three.
“Faith isn’t a Sunday morning thing, it’s
every day, not moment by moment. No matter what happens
around me. I won’t allow you to remove me from my dwelling,
which is my place of worship and praise. When praises go up,
blessings come down. We also need to balance our praise with
our worship. Worship is about him, not asking for anything,
but speaking to him and allowing him to speak to you,” said
Peele.
Women were urged to wear purple to honor Lydia, a woman of faith
who was a dealer of purple cloth. The service also
acknowledged women who demonstrate Lydia’s spirit of giving
and service with an award. “Lydia was a giver and did great
things. God blessed her. The blessings that God gave to her,
she shared with others,” shared Pastor Celeste Mitchell, a
2018 Lydia honoree.
In addition to Pastor Mitchell, Avis Files and WilliAnn Moore also
received Lydia awards for service and dedication. “People
have asked me what women in purple mean. It's about helping
us as men, to become better men of God. I’m successful as a
man because of the women in my life. It started with my
grandmother and mother, these women took care of me. I am
doing this to serve as a community women’s day. It’s bigger
than Search-Lite Community Church,” said Rev. Le Roy
Williams, senior pastor of Search-Lite.
The 2018 service sponsors: 1st Presbyterian Church
Maumee; Bishop Marjorie Holt, PhD, publisher of Interfaith
Gazette; Search-Lite Community Church Maumee; St Luke’s
Hospital
Pathways; and Fletcher Word, publisher of The Sojourner’s Truth
newspaper.
The Search-Lite Community Church is located in Maumee, Ohio. The
congregation and pastor will celebrate their fifth
anniversary on in October 2018 and the next Women in Purple
is scheduled for May 4, 2019.
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