Lillie W Colston

            THE JOURNEY OF LILLIE L. COLSTON

        I, Lillie LuCretia Colston was born on June 14, 1932, in Bertie County, North Carolina.  I was born to the late Charlie James Wilson and Arrington Bunch Wilson.  They were two God fearing parents and made sure we were raised up to be God fearing children.  I was the 9th child born to that union.  I had to go to Sunday school and church every Sunday.  I joined church at an early age and was baptized in the Colerain River to become a member of the Piney Woods Chapel Baptist Church.  I left North Carolina in 1956, and stayed in Norfolk, Virginia for about two years.  Shortly after, I left Virginia and came to Washington, DC in 1958.  I did laundry work in Virginia and the District of Columbia.  I worked at the Prince George’s Hospital for 34 years.  They were the happiest 34 years, thank the Lord. 

          After arriving to DC in 1958, I joined the Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church and was a member there until 1969.  Soon after, I became one of the co-founders of the King Emmanuel Baptist Church.  I was the president of the missionaries, the president of the Flower Club and vice-president of the Deaconess Board for many years. I was also in charge of the Annual Pew Rally at the King Emmanuel Baptist Church. I remained in charge until the church officially closed in 2019. Either no one else wanted to do it, OR, no one could do it better than me.  I certainly enjoyed being a servant for the Lord and saying, “To God be the Glory.”  Although I was in church all my life, I tried to stay away from the church, but God would always remind me that I could not do that.  Afterwhile, I enjoyed going to church every week.  I loved God and I loved people.  I also enjoyed talking on the telephone and watching television.  I went to Charles G. White High School and graduated from the 12th grade in Powellsville, North Carolina.  I got joy out of helping people even when I needed help for myself. 

          After 34 years of working, I finally retired in 1994.  I fell in love with a man named Willie Lee. Colston and married him on March 25, 1967. We were married for 29 years and three months.  One child was born to that union, Patricia Ann Wilson. In May 1996, God called my husband home.

On September 15, 2019, during King Emmanuel Baptist Church 50th Anniversary, Reverend Daryl F. Bell, my Pastor, acknowledged me with a plaque for the work that God has blessed me to do while being a Co-Founder of King Emmanuel Baptist Church. They also named the prayer room at the church in my name.

                                                                             Written By: Lillie W. Colston

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