Women’s History Month – Cont’d
Kathy A. Jefferies, cont’d…
Kathy was kept to be ordained as an elder at New Covenant Christian Church on October 3, 1999. She served tirelessly to ensure that the ministries of New Covenant were staffed and doing ministry in keeping with the Disciples’ mandates and our biblical understanding. Kathy served in just about every ministry of the church, as youth director, vice chair of the general board, chair of the diaconate, church school superintendent, and the chair of our board of directors. She was a Bible teacher par excellence, anointed with the Spirit of God to teach. Because of her love for the word of God, the adult Sunday school class at New Covenant was named in her honor, and also the fellowship hall at Disciples’ Village in Nashville, in 2013.
Kathy was kept to serve on both the regional and national levels of the church, as well. Indeed, the Disciples of Christ in North America have been amply blessed by her service. She was the first African American president of the Tennessee Christian Women’s Fellowship. She also served on the Disciples’ General Board and the Administrative Committee.
Kathy was kept to be active in Church Women United. She was state president for two years and local finance chair for five years. After she became ill, she was selected as Valiant Woman of the Year twice, and attended the Southeastern Assembly and the National Church Women United Conference in 2011. Kathy was kept by the Lord to be a faithful steward wherever she went and wherever she served. Serving the Lord afforded her the opportunity to travel the world as God’s witness. She certainly had, “So much, so much, so much, so much to thank God for,” and we certainly thank God for her. If Kathy could speak today she no doubt would tell you, “I’m kept — kept by God himself!” Kathy was a kept woman all the days of her life and now, she is kept in the arms of Jesus. She passed away February 17, 2014.
Think about your life and how you have served the Kingdom of God. Are you doing all that you can to “be kept?” Are you serving in the vineyard now, so you can be “kept” by Jesus later?