Tuesday, 13 March 2012 21:13

Women in Christian ministries honored on Int'l Women Day

Written by  Pauline Ngunjiri
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For the second year running, the ladies of the New Testament Church of God, marked the International Women Day 2012 by honoring three women at a ceremony held at the Charlestown new Testament Church on Friday. 



Mother Florence Morton

Sis Florence Morton affectionately known as Mother Morton has served God from the age of 11 years.  On February 19, 2012 she celebrated her 75th birthday.She grew up in the Gingerland Wesleyan Holiness Church formerly called  the Pilgrim Holiness Church under the leadership of Mother Henry.  She was a strict Pastor and did not even tolerate laughing in church.  Mother Morton recalls been beaten by Mother Henry for laughing in church.  Her spiritual guidance though, contributes to her strong faith in Christ.
Sis Florence left the Wesleyan Holiness Church after been married to her charming husband the late Ellsworth Montgomery Morton.  They enjoyed a 43 year marriage until 2000 when Ellsworth accepted a higher calling. They both pioneered the work at the Churches of God in Nevis, Butlers, Brick Kiln and Cox.
Their work in Butlers started in the late 1950’s where Sis Morton pastored for several years until she was released when her son Pastor Davidson Morton returned from Theological School in Trinidad in 1983. She  can multi task remarkably well – mother of 8, pastor, business woman, Sunday School teacher, housewife.  Mother Morton and her close friend, Sister Fransisca Brookes and,
Dorcas Griffin, Hyacinth Liburd and the late Bro. Walters have coordinated an outreach ministry.  They walked from village to village preaching to the  sick and the elderly.  She recalls walking from Brown Pasture to as far as Cotton Ground, Hickmans, Zion just to preach the Gospel. During one of the these visits, an elderly gentleman locked them inside the house.  Bro. Walters used his strong arms to break them free.  There were time when they would walk very many miles to reach out to elderly persons only to be turned away.
Mrs Morton has travelled to several places to preach, not only in Nevis but, St. Kitts, Antigua, Tortola, Barbados.
Mother Morton continues to serve faithfully in her church as an Elder and Sunday School Teacher and Prayer warrior .  She has escaped death several times even in her youth. A boat she was suppose to be on has never been seen, she was knocked down in town by a car and her car was hit by a concrete truck. 
Mother Morton is described by many to be a warm and friendly godly woman who has won the love and respect of so many persons home and abroad.  Every day at her business place people pass by just to greet her or comment on her bible verse that she displays on a board daily. 

Ms Daisy Christena Nisbett
Sister Christena Nisbett now affectionately known as Daisy Nisbett was born on December 18 1921. She was educated at the St. Thomas Primary School; where she attained the Standard Seven Certificate. She shared the family fellowship of Mother Drew as both of them were raised by her Grandmother at Jessups. While attending a service of Baptism on the beach in 1953, she was under strong conviction. After being prayed for she was baptized immediately by Bishop Elder Green of the New Testament Church of God.
All her life she made her living by being a seamstress and a vendor except, for two (2) years when she worked at Pinneys Beach Hotel from 1972-1974. Sister Nisbett continues to be a vendor.
Sister Nisbett Joined the Church of God of Prophecy in 1955 where she filled a number of positions such as: Open Air Sunday School Superintendent at Jessup’s. At craddock Road she was Cradle Roll Assistant Secretary, Women’s Missionary Band (WMB) Leader for a number of years, Prayer Meeting Leader, Band Leader and Sunday School Teacher. She Moved to Antigua with Bishop Alfrado Drew and Lived there from 1959 to 1963 and became a Sunday School Teacher and song leader.  She also performs duties as the secretary of the ladies group.  She attended  a Bible Training Institute (BTI) from 1976 to-1979 overseas. She Returned to Nevis where she served as president of ladies Auxiliary at the church of God of prophecy from 1972 to 1995 when she retired. 
Sister Christena Nisbett served under many pastors such as: Bishop Alfrado Drew, Brother Boston Drew, Pastor Webbe, Overseer, Sister Elsie Jones, Brother Daniel Drew, Pastor Elliott- Freeman (twice), Pastor Stephen Liburd (2times), Brother Bernard Boland, Sister Carol Beach, Sister Joanna Nelson- Thomas, Pastor Yearwood, Pastor Balrom, Pastor Greenaway, Pastor John Powell, Sister Versalie Powell and Present Pastor Jennifer Weekes.
She has traveled many miles on foot to keep open air services in nearly all the villages in Nevis including Prison Farm.  Sister Nizzie as she is affectionately called has attended many District Conventions, Ladies Retreats and Leadership Conferences. At the Age of 88 she started handing over her duties due to medical problems.

Cathalena Sorita France
Sorita’s birth on February 21st, 1945, was celebrated by her parents the late Josephine France affectionately known as (Mother France) and the late William Benjamin France of Mt. Lily village, Nevis. Her father, William worked for the Water Department while her mother, Josephine, was a seamstress and a small business owner who is. She was strict, but a loving disciplinarian.  She taught her children to cook, and to do household chores and also trained them to be content with little and to be good citizens.. She also taught them to fear God. Today she continues to uphold the values of Christianity and continues to make an invaluable contribution to the community in which she resides.
Born to humble beginnings in Mt. Lily Sorita has made her place of birth her home.  She attended the Combermere Primary School and during her early years attended the St. James Anglican Church.  In the early 1960’s Sorita moved to St. Eustatius to seek employment but after a few years returned to Nevis, a decision which proved to be a turning point in her life.
Shortly after she returned home Sorita met Pastor Heyliger, an Evangelist who had recently moved into the community and in 1970 she accepted Jesus Christ as her personal friend and Saviour.  Today, over forty years later, she continues to exemplify true Christian living; in her life of unwavering dedication and commitment to the work of the lord.
Through the years, the villagers of Mt. Lily and Fountain and the congregations of the New testament Churches of God have come to value Sorita . Her ready  smile and a willing hand always extended with an offer of help. She is affable and good natured and many persons have benefited from her wise advice in things spiritual and non spiritual.
Sorita appeal to friends, family, members of the New Testament Church of God and identifies with each person she comes in contact with either through their pain or the celebration of their joy.  In this identification, Sorita has helped many, and have turned much heartache into hope;;
She has been a pillar of support at the church since the early days of Pastor Heyliger and continued to provide that support during the pastoral sojourns of Pastor Eversley Pemberton, Pastor Charlesworth McCarthy, Pastor Alex Claxton and now Pastor James Douglas.
Sorita has helped many through her leadership at the New Testament Church of God extending as far back to the days of the Friday night Young Peoples Endeavour Meetings. Her actions continue to be an inspiration to all she comes into contact with and the enthusiasm and zeal with which she undertakes the simplest task – such as cleaning the church, providing food and shelter for visiting ministers and missionaries, teaching Sunday school classes, care of the elderly or shut-in members in the community,- has won the admiration of all.  Her outstanding care of the elderly ensured that her mother Josephine and her aunt Ellen lived to the mature ages of 100 and 98 respectively.
Sorita is the proud mother of two, Ernie and Thouvia and the sixth of seven children born to their parents William and Josephine France.  Additionally she has celebrated the birth of four grandchildren Jelani, Juwon, Khala and Shiniah and only Sorita can count the number of God Children whose birthdays and special days she has the uncommon ability to remember.
Sorita’s dearest friends include Cordeliar Hanley, Venetta Huggins, Verna Carbon, Calmita Doras, Theodore Mills, Agnola Martin, Althea Jones and Maudestine Hanley.