By: Dr. Jacquelyn Simmons
Scripture: Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you (John 15:16).
My Dear Child,
It is with great awe, gratitude and respect that this 88 year old Christ’s battle-worn warrior is expressing gratitude to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He ordained you into his ministries before the Father tenderly placed you into your “dad’s” loins and mother’s womb (the late Rev. F.D. and Gertrude Nash).
You have often shared with me your inward battles to fight Christ’s “call” to his ministries and valiantly sought to ignore it, also. However, your fight was in vain as many of us can attest to due to our failures, also (smile).
In fact, when this writer expressed my unusual visions and strange feelings to your “dad” who was my pastor, he immediately recognized my “call”, and to my utter dismay and fears, set a date for me to preach. He ignored my protests and possible explanations and the rest is history. It certainly “rocked” Monroe and many outlying areas that a woman, classroom teacher, also, was scheduled to preach in a pulpit at a Baptist church, Triumph Baptist.
In 1978, your “dad”, “grandfather”, Reverend C.H. Nash, Reverends Ellis, Price, Ollie Jackson, “bucked” tradition and openly licensed and ordained me, a woman. “Lord, thank you for your mercy because our pastor, Rev. Nash and church were barred from participating in all Baptist church organizations and most of them refused to allow me to speak, sing, play instruments, pray or participate in any programs held in your churches.
Afterwards, your “dad” revealed to me that he and the aforementioned pastors, had secretly ordained a lady earlier. She was invited to speak at a Healing Service but declined.
Another lady was licensed and ordained very early, also. She was the late Rev. Katie Nugent and was licensed and ordained by the late Rev. E.D. Nation, pastor of Triedstone and Mt.Pleasant Baptist Churches. Another brave, honorable Baptist pastor, Rev. Eddie Stewart, Sr., who is, pastor to both of us, ordained you and several other ladies earlier which God had called into his ministries.
Two very active female Baptist pastors in Monroe are Rev. Brenda Portor and Rev. Ruth Collins Brown. God’s sky has not fallen yet !!! (smile)
It is painful and astonishing to me, even though women have a majority membership in African-American Baptist churches, a huge majority of them refuse to vote for a female pastor. Several women, Jesus ordained into his ministries have had to leave the Baptist churches where they and their families attended since birth and set up non-denominational churches because they, like Jesus Christ, are not accepted by their “own” (Mark 6:1-6).
“Pam”, even though you have suffered the loss of your beloved husband, Peter, and reared your three children, Peter, Phillip, and Katrena Blake, you have valiantly continued working many tedius years in the battlefields of Jesus Christ. Prayfully, continue to do so. Do not give up! Pray!!
Have a blessed ministry, “Pam”.
Love Jacquelyn Simmons
P.S. You were an excellent student in my class at Wossman High School and presently are a blessing to our church and also serve as choir director. Pray!!!
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