By Elayne Samuels
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.” — Proverbs 31:30
They’re prayer partners and prayer warriors. They are mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, and cousins. From Sunday to Sunday, they can be found assisting, bolstering, encouraging, advocating, nourishing, espousing, and teaching. These are the women that see the pastor while he is at home on bended knees interceding for his congregation. These are the pastors’ wives. Called as a help-meet for the man of God in our various churches, they provide our community with a spiritual covering of love.
In the upcoming weeks, the Westside Gazette newspaper will feature the wives of some of the pastors at our local churches.
This week’s featured “First Lady” is: First Lady Yvokia Davidson of New Mount Olive Baptist Church.
Interview with First Lady Yvokia Davidson of New Mount Olive Baptist Church
WG: What is your life verse? Why is the verse special to you?
First Lady Davidson: My life verse is Psalm 121:1-2, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made the heaven and the earth (KJV). This verse is very special to me because it was the first Bible verse that I memorized at the age of 7. As I grew older and developed a deeper relationship with the Lord, it had even greater significance in my life because I truly realize that all of my health and strength comes from the Lord!
WG: Do you remember your salvation moment? Please discuss.
First Lady Davidson: I will never forget that summer Sunday night at Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Courtland, Alabama. During that time revival began on Sunday and continued until Friday night. I was reared in a place where the “Mourners Bench” was essential to salvation. It was a very important to my parents that we knew the importance of being saved and being serious about our salvation. So as my pastor, Rev. Bonnie Burgess, was preaching that night I was in tears at the time of the invitation. I recalled at that moment how my mother told my siblings and me that we needed Jesus to be our Savior. As I thought about that, I got out of my seat and walked up and gave the preacher my hand and accepted Christ as my Savior. I still get a little emotional when I reflect on that night even after so many years.
WG: Is there a special move of God that you would like to see an increased evidence of in Broward County?
First Lady Davidson: I would love to see a strong move of evangelism take place in the county. I often talk to my husband about how wonderful it would be to walk the streets of Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas inviting people to come to Christ. I love our church and would love to see more people join our church. However, I would first love to see people get to know Jesus. I was recently reading a book on evangelism, and it re-kindled the passion in my heart to move from the pews in the sanctuary to the streets to tell people about Jesus. I feel that if all the believers in Broward County, regardless of race, would share Christ our county and even our state would be a better place.
WG: What are the titles of your favorite songs? Singers? Please elaborate.
First Lady Davidson: One of my favorite songs that I have al-ways loved is the hymn, “Near the Cross.” Also, one of my favorite, more contemporary songs is, “Never Would Have Made It” by Pastor Marvin Sapp. Both of those songs encourage my heart. I know that there is just something about being reminded of the cross and what Jesus did on the cross for me that comforts me during the most difficult times of life. Pastor Marvin Sapp’s song always reminds me of where God has brought me from and what He has brought me through in life. I realize every time I hear that song I would not be where I am today if it were not for God bringing me.
WG: Do you watch or listen to other pastors? (national or local) Who are they? How are you impacted by their messages?
First Lady Davidson: I often listen to Joel Osteen. I enjoy his stories and life application. He is a very good motivational speaker. I must admit that I am a little bias in that I love to hear my husband, Pastor Davidson, preach. I appreciate his passion for preaching the Bible and ability to make the Bible relevant to time without losing sight on what the Bible is actually saying.
WG: Family Life — Your spouse (His name? Where and how did you meet? When did your marry? How long?)
First Lady Davidson: I am married to Dr. Marcus D. Davidson. We met when we lived in Alabama. Actually, he was my pastor. He became Pastor of the church that I was a member of in Courtland, Alabama. He had been at the church for a few years as Pastor. He respectfully complemented me one day, but I cordially brushed it off. Since he was my pastor I was quite reluctant to respond, but we were both single. Ultimately, God connected us and here we are today. We married on June 1, 2002 and this June will make 10 years of marriage for us.
WG: Do you have a secular job? If so, what is your position? How did you start in this field?
First Lady Davidson: Currently, I do not have a secular job. I am a stay-at-home mom. However, prior to moving to the South Florida area, I worked in the chemical industry for approximately 18 years. My most recent job was Site Scheduler/ISO Coordinator for a Canadian based chemical company in Decatur, Alabama. I started in this field shortly after entering college at Alabama A&M University. As life would have it, I left school and was blessed to have an extremely successful career in the industry.
WG: What are your personal interests/activities/goals?
First Lady Davidson: As I just stated, I left college and was truly blessed to have a great career. Nonetheless, I realize the value and importance of education. So I am currently enrolled at Liberty University pursing my Bachelor of Science in Religion and plan to continue on and obtain my Master of Arts in Human Services with an emphasis in Christian Ministries. I look forward to obtaining my education so that I can play a more active role in some personal ministry plans that my husband and I plan to purse in the future. So I would say, my greatest goal is to be able to help someone have a closer walk with God through my service to God and humanity. Although I’m grateful that God blessed me with a great job early in life, I still recommend all students to pursue excellence and go to college while they are young and before they have a family. However, I am a living example that you are never too old to finish college and aspire for excellence regardless of age and success. Having a great supporting cast makes the journey all the better, too. Some of my personal interests are fitness training and exercise. I enjoy teaching aerobics and personal training. I also enjoy spending time with children and teaching them how to live a fit life. One of my greatest joys is spending time with my family. My husband and I are blessed to have a six year old. We make it priority to spend quality time with her as a family. We believe there is no substitute for being involved in her life. We spend time together on purpose as a family.
WG: Please complete the following sentence: Jesus is my
First Lady Davidson: EVERYTHING!!!