The purpose of the Seasoned Saints Ministry at Shiloh Baptist Church of Greensboro, NC is to provide an opportunity for members and the community to connect with each other and grow spiritually through educational workshops, retreats, and supporting one another so the gained knowledge becomes the strength desired. The activities the Seasoned Saints have participated in since 2016 include attending the plays at the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, an Easter play, 'The Lost Shepherd', supporting the theatre and arts program at NC A&T State University by attending their plays including 'Black Nativity', attending dinner and shows at The Barn Dinner Theatre, traveling to Danville, VA to attend a concert by the Morgan State University Choir, hosting several workshops to included Tax Preparation for Seniors, Estate Planning and Wills, Life Insurance for Seniors, and hosting a Crochet Class. The Ministry has also contributed to the Pastor's Anniversary budget. The core values of the Seasoned Saints are: Community, Encouragement, Fellowship, Cultural Relevance, and Creativity. We invite you to join our group by contacting Annette Barnes Parker at adbar3@hotmail.com.

SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH of Greensboro

CELEBRATES REVEREND MARY JANE CRAWFORD

‘Beyond the Centenarian Year’

Praise God for the beautiful life He sent to us on the 16^th day of July 1920, the one who became known as the beloved Reverend Mary Jane Crawford, associate pastor, member, and friend of Shiloh Baptist Church of Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina; and

How happy we were to be allowed to join in a local celebration of her Ninety-Ninth Birthday, and applaud her onward march to the milestone of One Hundred Years; and

How, during the pandemic crises appearing during 2020, we celebrated her ONE-HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY from afar, knowing that God’s plan for her life continued; and

Praise God, we are able to celebrate in-person, the occasion of her --

ONE HUNDRED AND FIRST BIRTHDAY!

We have seen how God has brought her through her early years as she excelled in her education and as she later found her beloved soulmate; and

To this union, a remarkable family has formed: a son, Darryl Edward, and a daughter, Michon LaVie. Reverend Mary Jane showed great strength during the passing and bereavement of her son in 1995; and

Her daughter, Michon La Vie, has personified what it means to show great love and care for a parent.

During the life of Reverend Crawford, she has touched the lives of children and adults through music—from private lessons to directing a college choir, to lifting her own soprano voice in song, including opera; and

Heeding God’s call to expand her outreach by serving directly in ministry, she trained and persevered to become one of the early women pioneers to be seated in local pulpits as an ordained minister of the gospel; and

Her ministry included the development and implementation of the HIV-AIDS ministry which demonstrated Shiloh’s motto, to ‘care about people;’ and

The membership received a blessing when she prayed, brought the Sunday message, made other presentations, and any and every time she raised her lyrical, heartfelt ‘Hallelujahs’, with joy and giving the highest praise to her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

THEREFORE, MAKE IT KNOWN THAT THE OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH OF GREENSBORO PAY TRIBUTE to this extraordinary woman whose age spans 101 YEARS, a virtuous woman who loves the Lord and whom we love, REVEREND MARY JANE CRAWFORD, this 16^th day July 2021.