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Mother Nellie Mae Townes
Jurisdictional Supervisor
Mother Waltina James
Assistant Jurisdictional Supervisor
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THE HISTORY OF THE WOMEN'S DEPARTMENT OF THE
CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST
HISTORIC FIRST ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION OF VIRGINIA
Bishop Ted G. Thomas, Sr., Jurisdictional Prelate
Mother Nellie Mae Townes, Jurisdictional Supervisor
The Women's Department of our Jurisdiction began under the leadership of Mother Fannie Walton who was appointed in the mid 1930's. God blessed our Jurisdiction; which flourished and grew after it was started by Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, the founder of the Church of God in Christ. He founded our state, which had only one Jurisdiction at that time in the early 1900's. The first Church of God in Christ in Virginia was the Friendship Church of God in Christ in Chuckatuck located in Suffolk, Virginia. Mother Walton remained in charge of the women's work until Mother Beulah Dabney was appointed by Bishop David C. Love, our state's first Bishop.
Mother Dabney was our State Mother until 1959 when the Second Jurisdiction was formed. Bishop Love then appointed Mother Carrie McCrae who was our State Mother from 1959 until 1962. She continued the work for three years and God continued to bless and expand the Women's Department.
Bishop Love selected Mother Thelma Geraldine Vaughan to become our State Mother in 1962. She was in the kitchen frying chicken and preparing food for the saints and was not cognizant of the appointment until she was informed that Bishop Love wanted her in the sanctuary. There was quite a happy and holy explosion as the saints greeted her by praising God for her new appointment.
Mother Vaughan remained a diligent, enthusiastic, and faithful State Supervisor in our Jurisdiction until God called her home in October of 2007. She had been appointed a member of the Advisory Board for the International Department of Women of the Church of God in Christ. Mother Vaughan trained us to support our Pastors, our district, and our Jurisdiction as well as our national church.
Mother Vaughan led us to higher heights and deeper depths as she appointed other great women in our Jurisdiction upon the recommendation of their pastors. Two of her appointments were Mother Rosalin Short as the Assistant Supervisor of the Jurisdictional Women's Department and Mother Nellie Mae Townes as the Second Assistant Supervisor. Many District Missionaries and Missionaries in our Jurisdiction enjoyed Mother Vaughan's leadership abilities and followed her example of a holy woman. Her wisdom, her Godly direction and instruction provided us with another "Mother Vaughan." At the demise of Mother Short, Mother Vaughan appointed Mother Townes to Assistant Supervisor. Mother Townes succeeded Mother Vaughan as Supervisor of the Women's Department and she appointed Mother Walteina James as the Assistant Supervisor. With the blessings of our Jurisdictional Prelate, Bishop Ted G. Thomas, Sr., they were installed during the November 2008 International Women's Day Service in Memphis, Tennessee by our International Super visor, Mother Willie Mae Rivers..
Currently, Mother Charletta Thomas, our Jurisdictional First Lady serves as our Women's Department Marshall. Missionary Deborah Wynn is our Women's Department Executive Secretary and Assistant District Missionary Michelle Boyd is our Recording Secretary.
Our District Missionaries are Missionary Angie Brown, Missionary Jessie Hill, Missionary Doris McCray, Missionary Navis Wiggins, Missionary Judy Little, Missionary Beatrice Coles, Missionary Linda Hawkins, Missionary Ann Hooper, Missionary Emma Lundy, Missionary Geraldine Smith, and Missionary Walteina James.
Our Assistant District Missionaries are Missionary Michelle Boyd, Missionary Doris Day, Missionary Martha Harrell, Missionary Linda Johnson and Missionary Barbara Olds.
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