one
spirit
in the
A NEWSLETTER OF BURNS UNITED METHODIST AND HAMMITT HILL UNITED METHODIST CHURCHES
Rev. Marjorie Walker, Pastor, Burns UMC &
Rev. Dr. Marvin J. Gipson, Pastor, Hammitt Hill
Volume 13, Number 5, May 2013
by Pastor Marjorie Walker
Burns UMC celebrated and gave special
recognition to Women’s History Month,
throughout the month of March. The grand
finale’ took place on Saturday, April 6,
2013. On this date the Burns UMC Woman of
the Year was crowned. There were ten women
who initially signed on to help Burns with its
financial efforts to support ministerial and
Jacob’s Ladder
budgeted needs. Out of the ten, only seven met
the minimum requirements. Furthermore, due to
the interest and excitement of the celebration, all
ladies worked diligently and faithfully. The
acknowledgement as best fundraiser for this
event goes to Mrs. Gloria Gipson Suggs
(above). Mrs. Suggs super exceeded beyond and
above the minimum. Therefore, Burns UMC is
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pleased and blessed to announce all funds raised
for this event exceeded $10,000.00
Special
thanks to New Albany District of the United
Methodist Church, Rev. John Moore for his
prayers and support and to our very own Oxford
University United Methodist Church for their
prayers and generous support. Burns salutes and
gives great thanks to all participants. To God Be
the Glory! The other ladies who gracious
supported this program are: Ms. Lisa A. Hilliard
as the First Runner Up (Burns UMC); Mrs.
Marcia Cole as Second Runner Up (Grace Bible
Church/University of Mississippi); Ms. LaVera
Hodges as Third Runner Up (Philadelphia MBC/
Hodges Funeral Services); Mrs. Phyllis Blanks
(Nurse in Waynesboro, MS); Ms. Kegi K.Wells
(employed by Quitman County School District as
principal of Madison S. Palmer High School);
and Reverend Mattie Gipson (District
Superintendent of Greenwood District of
Greenwood, MS).
Our “Woman of the Year,” Mrs. Gloria
Gipson Suggs (teacher, author, performer, and
artist) is a native and resident of Marshall
County, MS. She is the granddaughter of Cliff
Jones and Elnora Hughes Jones. Gloria is the
daughter of the late S.P. Gipson Sr. and Versie
Ree Jones Gipson. She is the eleventh child of
seventeen children. Mrs. Suggs attended the one
and two room Henry Elementary School near
Slayden, MS and graduated from St. Mary’s
High School in Holly Springs, MS in 1962. She
received a Bachelors of Science Degree in
Biology in 1966 from Rust College in Holly
Springs. In 1976, Gloria earned a Masters
Degree in Curriculum Development and
Instruction at the University of Memphis, in
Memphis, TN. Mrs. Suggs taught Life Science
and Geometry the first two years of her teaching
career at Riverton Jr. High School in the
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Clarksdale City Schools System, Clarksdale,
MS. After leaving Clarksdale, Suggs taught in
the following public and private schools in
Memphis, TN: Earth Science, Life Science, and
Physical Science - Gragg Junior High School;
General Biology and A.P. Biology - Craigmont
High School; Computer Science, Physics, and
Chemistry - Whitehaven High School; Medical
Office Technology-Southeast College of
Technology; Alternative School Science Teacher
- Shelby County Schools - Charter Lakeside
BHS; Mrs. Suggs served as Program
Director and Coordinator for Charter Lakeside
Behavioral Health System’s alternative program
of Memphis, TN in the Marshall County and
Holly Springs School Districts.
Mrs. Suggs received many citations for
her work as an educator and many awards for
literary, performing and visual arts.
Mrs. Suggs’ career as an educator spans a
period of more than 28 years. Her career, which
she loved, came to an end over time because of
several accidents which resulted in physical
disabilities that made it impossible for her to
work as an educator. Now, as a retired teacher,
she continues to work as a folk artist, poet, and
performer under her company’s name, GGS
Enterprise. She is the author of three books;
Wind-blown Memories, Reflections in Black and
White with Shades of Red, Yellow, and Brown,
and Piece-A-Way Crossroads.
Mrs. Suggs is married to Franklin Suggs of
Chulahoma, a community of Holly Springs, MS.
They have two children, Michael and Linda, a
son-in--law, Horacio, and a grandson,
Langston. Gloria is a member of St. Joseph
Jacob’ Ladder
Catholic Church in Holly Springs, MS.
Jacob’s Ladder
by Terry Vaughn
In a recent Sunday School class, we
discussed the Holy Spirit. That lesson led me to
explore the topic further.
Some religious cults say that the Holy
Spirit is nothing more than a force. Most
Christians today understand Jesus the Son, and
God the Father as two very distinct Persons
within the Godhead; however, there has been
much confusion over the identity of the Holy
Spirit. Perhaps some of this dates back to the
King James translation of the Bible where the
word “Spirit” or “Ghost” was used instead of
“Breath” or “Wind” of God. Many people have
thought of the Holy Spirit more as a thing than a
Person. Nothing could be further from the truth,
and in fact as we begin to know the Person of the
Holy Spirit, we will want to have a closer
relationship with Him just as we would the
Father or the Son.
The Holy Spirit is the third Person in the
Trinity. He is fully God. He is eternal,
Omniscient, Omnipresent, has a will and can
speak. He is alive. He is a Person. His purpose is
to bear witness of Jesus.
Although the word Trinity is not
mentioned in the Bible, we know God is three in
one. They are equal in every way.
The Holy Spirit was part of all things
from the very beginning of scripture to the very
end of scripture. GENESIS 1:1 reads "In the
beginning God (elohiym “pronounced el-oheem”) created the Heaven and Earth”. Elohiym
is the plural form of God. Therefore, as scripture
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Jacob’s
Jacob’s
Ladder
was inspired and man began to write the word, it
was evident to the writers that God was made of
more than one Person, but at the same time there
was one God.
Read LUKE 3:22, MATTHEW 3:16-17,
MARK 1: 10-13 and you will see evidence of the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all mentioned within
one verse. It is important to understand the Holy
Spirit is truly God because of the fact that if we
are “born again” He lives in us.
Four important principles to remember are:
1) The Holy Spirit is a Person, not a
force.
2) The Holy Spirit's mission is to reveal
Jesus. Jesus's mission is to reveal the Father. The
Father sent Jesus and the Holy Spirit so that we
can come to Him. They never had a crisis
management meeting in Heaven. They never
tried to sit down and work things out. They never
had a power struggle.
3) The Holy Spirit gives gifts for use in
ministry and empowers effective ministry. The
more people in a church that is led by the Holy
Spirit will have a more productive ministry.
4) The Holy Spirit is a distinct Person
within the Godhead. Not a thing, a force, or an it.
Make no mistake: To become a Christian, you
must receive the Holy Spirit. Read ROMANS 8:9,
11,14.
Read 1ST CORINTHIANS:12 to know the
gifts of God's Spirit. Not every man receives
every gift. So, not everyone speaks in tongues.
Other Scriptures to read are: His names-ACTS 5:3
-4, 2ND CORINTHIANS 3:18, 1ST CORINTHIANS
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2:10; His Attributes-HEBREWS 9:14, LUKE 1:35,
1ST CORINTHIANS 12:11. His symbols-Sins
against- MATTHEW 12:31, ACTS 7:51, HEBREWS
10:29,
ACTS
5:3,
EPHESIANS4:30,
1ST
THESSALONIANS 5:19; Power in Christ's lifeMATTHEW 1:18, 20, MATTHEW 3:16, LUKE 4:14,
18, ROMANS 8:11.
Finally: If you accept God as God, Jesus as
Jesus, then you MUST accept the Holy Spirit.
Respond to the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit
leads you, but please, for your Salvation, stay
open to receive the Holy Ghost.
Blessings and peace
Jacob’s Ladder is a monthly publication of Burns United Methodist Church
and Hammitt Hill United Methodist Church. EDITOR/PUBLISHER: Clarence
H. Franklin. All rights reserved. Announcements or articles should be
submitted to Rev. Marjorie Walker or submitted by e-mail directly to Franklin
at [email protected]. Visit Burns website at www.BurnsUMC.org and click
on the Monthly Newsletter link to view previous month’s issues of Jacob’s
Ladder.
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Jacob’s Ladder
P.O. Box 277
Oxford, MS 38655
“As a Mother comforts her child, so I will comfort
you.”
—ISAIAH 66:13
Saturday, May 18, 2013
The Oxford University UMC
Methodist Activity Center
2:00 P.M.
TICKETS—$10.00
A Commemorative Souvenir Booklet will be
prepared with the following prices:
Full Page
Half Page
Quarter Page -
$100.00
$ 50.00
$ 25.00
For additional information please contact:
Cassandra Johnson at 662-234-4544 or
Laura Ann Cancer at 662-234-2527
Jacob’s Ladder
PLACE
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