By Laverna Hargrove
On April 14, 2024, the Wilmington District celebrated at St. James A.M.E. Zion Church, Southport, NC. Twenty people were chosen by the individual churches as their Lay Person of the Year. The district was welcomed to St. James A.M.E. Zion Church, pastored by Rev. Vanness Middleton, by the President of their Lay Council, Edna Bernard. The 2024 theme “Sharing Our Faith” permeated the celebration. The Men’s Choir of Browns Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church, Southport, NC, ignited waves of praise with their harmonious rendition of "I Came to Tell You."
Harold Boone of Mt. Hebron A.M.E. Zion Church, Hallsboro, NC, gave the Meditation to the standing-room-only congregation. He presented scriptural directions of what it means to Share Our Faith, punctuated by living illustrations of how these directions can be followed. Mr. Boone’s testimony of his transformation and growth as a child of God ignited remembrances of our individual journeys of transformation. Mr. Boone’s use of humor, seriousness of purpose, and heartfelt praise made this meditation most memorable.
The twenty Lay Persons of the Year are Dennis Bessent, Browns Chapel, Southport, NC; Larry Godwin, Mt. Zion, Lake Waccamaw, NC; Raymond Davis, St. Andrew, Wilmington, NC; Janice Montgomery, Walters Chapel, Bolton, NC; Annie Brown, Evergreen, Delco, NC; Teresa Parker, St. James, Southport, NC; Sharon Ballard, Moores Chapel, Leland, NC; Leandrea Carroll, Blackwell Chapel, Leland, NC; Derrell Greene, St. Mark, Whiteville, NC; Sadie Mapson, Johnson Chapel, Leland, NC; Keith Williams, St. Luke, Wilmington, NC; Lenora Hall, Bowen Chapel, Wilmington, NC; Carolyn Smith, Lees Chapel, Bolton, NC; Delores Josey, Warner Temple, Wilmington, NC; Debra Watson, St. Phillip, Wilmington, NC; Emma Bellamy, Christian Chapel, Winnabow, NC; Carolyn Wilson, Summerville, Leland, NC; Stephany George, Price Cathedral, Wilmington, NC; Carolyn James, St. James, Leland, NC; Lula Mae Fulton, St. Paul, Bolton, NC.
The Wilmington District Lay Person of the Year is Raymond Davis of St. Andrew, Wilmington, NC. The recipient of the Wilmington District Lay Person of the Year serves others with heartfelt sincerity, focusing on the elderly who may be facing some form of hardship. Mr. Davis’s generosity knows no bounds, as evidenced by numerous acts of service within the church and the wider community. He leads the Trustee Board with integrity, is a member of the Men’s Choir, and is a Life Member of the WH&OMS, the Lay Council, the Christian Education Department, and the RW Johnson Club. The recipient was instrumental in erecting a plague in front of the Gregory Congregational Church, commemorating the Wilmington Ten. This plaque stands as a testament to the courage and resilience of those who fought for justice.
One of the unique features of the Wilmington District Lay Person of the Year Celebration is the Keeper of the Flame Award. The 2024 recipient is Mrs. Gerotha S. Spain, Executive Assistant to Presiding Elder Dr. Alexander Jones, and a member of St. Luke, Wilmington, NC. The Keeper of the Flame award is given to a layperson who has consistently, for an extended length of time, gone beyond what was asked and used their time and talents to perfect the requirements of the position or task to which they were called
For 31 plus years, the recipient of the 2024 Keeper of the Flame Award, Mrs. Gerotha S. Spain, has been the record keeper, finance manager, and correspondence processor to our Presiding Elder, Dr. Alexander Jones. She served as his secretary for 5 of the 31 years while he pastored her home church, St. Luke, Wilmington. She also helps the clergy of all rank and file to understand the church's operation, especially in finance. She manages the district's Quarterly Conference Management System. Because of her expertise, she has served on the General Secretary’s Connectional Quarterly Conference Management System Committee to help perfect its development and implementation. She currently serves on the same committee in an advisory capacity.
The four centenarians of the Wilmington District were honored with the inclusion of their legacies in the program and by presenting the Wilmington District Youth Choir with uniform T-shirts in their honor. The centenarians are Mrs. Inez Richardson of St. Luke, Wilmington, NC.; Mrs. Posey Johnson of St. Andrew, Wilmington; Mrs. Ruth Harrison of St. James, Leland, NC; and Mrs. Gracie Davis of Price Cathedral, Wilmington.
Inez Sophia Richardson was born to the late Georgia Butler And Thaddeus Richardson on April 24, 1921. She graduated from Williston Industrial High School in 1937, Winston Salem Teachers College in 1941, and earned a Masters Degree from Columbia Teachers College to become a stellar educator serving at the NC Governor’s School, Assistant Principal at MCS Noble Junior High School, Wilmington, NC and Principal of Washington Catlett School, WH Blount Elementary School, and Wrightsville Beach Elementary School. She holds membership in many civic organizations, including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Retired Teachers of the Lower Cape Fear, Elderhaus Board of Directors (Retired), and the League of Women Voters. She has served as the St. Luke Church Historian, President of the Goldenaires, Mortgage Captain, as well as President and Chorister of the Choral Club. She was an ardent visitor of the sick. Ms. Inez attends Hump Day when she can. She has served 13 pastors of St. Luke.
Mrs. Ruth Lee Hill Harrison was born and bred in the St. James A.M.E. Zion Church, Leland, NC. She is the daughter of Mr. Jimmy and Mrs. Laura Hill. When the first church was built, it was also the site of a school. She attended that school. She served as Church Treasurer, Trustee board member, and President of the Usher Board for many years. She was instrumental in helping to build the present sanctuary, as indicated on the church cornerstone. Her passion has always been the beautification of the church grounds and church building. She served as the volunteer janitor for many years. She attributes her longevity to the Christian principle: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” She often reminds her church members and family that ‘you can’t enjoy the mountain top unless you have gone through the valley.’
Posey Smith Johnson was born in Gilford County, NC, on February 17, 1924. She graduated from Palmer Institute, Greensboro, NC, and Winston Salem Teachers College, Winston Salem, NC, with a degree in education. She joined St. Andrew A.M.E. Zion Church in 1949 when her husband, the late Rev. Robert W. Johnson, was pastoring there. She has served on every board, auxiliary, and committee in the A.M.E. Zion Church, touching every age and gender division under 28 bishops. Her Zion affiliations include the Women’s Home & Overseas Missionary Society, Lay Council, Christian Education, International Ministers’ Spouses, Widows and Widowers Fellowship, and Church Women United. She is also an active member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. She attends church regularly.
Mrs. Gladys Tindle Davis was born on January 8, 1924, in Sumpter, SC. She became a member of Price Cathedral in the 1950s. Mrs. Davis served her community and her church through the ministry of ushering and her talent for preparing delicious food. She served as President of the Usher Board for 45 years. She served at the conference and connectional level as an usher. Mrs. Gracie was a very disciplined usher. Uniforms had to be in order from head to toe, and ushers had to be on time because ushering, she said, is a calling. Her husband, William Davis, had served as president of the usher board before her. They reared all 9 of their children at Price Cathedral. In her sweet, soft voice, she would remind the youth worshippers that ‘we are here to learn about the Lord’. Because of her faithfulness to the ministry of Ushering, the Usher Board was renamed the Gracie Davis Adult Usher Board of Price Cathedral under the leadership of Reverend Theodore Hayden in 2000. In 1980, Mrs. Davis recruited Trudy Evans to become an usher. Mrs. Evans now serves as president of the ENCED ushers and the Cape Fear Conference Ushers president.
Presiding Elder Dr. Alexander Jones remarked on his appreciation for the work that all of the laity of the Wilmington District is able to accomplish and for their willingness to elect one of their own to honor on the district level. He also noted that the inclusion of the centenarians is a way to thank them and their families publicly for those on whose shoulders we stand and is a source of encouragement for us to do more because we are given more with which to be the hands and feet of God on the earth.
