Ron Gay displays his Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Greater Mount Zion Bible College & Seminary in Grimesland, NC
by Bishop Ronald Gay
This was from a promise I made you, myself in 1975.
My dad drove me three hours one way to Winston Salem State University in the fall of 1975 to drop me off. I could see the pride that swelled within him, his very own boy at college.
I can only imagine the thoughts that ran through his mind: My boy won’t have to taste the bitter labor that I had to endure.
I stayed a short while and joined the army with the promise to get that degree, and here we are forty eight years later. I give God all the Glory HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!
So a lady said to me when she saw my Bachelor’s degree, “I’ve been watching you through the years. Now you have moved from this position to that. Now you are a Bishop. What more can you learn?”
I said to her. “The more I learn of God the less I know about Him. Therefore, I have to keep grinding out his word.”
College English instructor Shemika Davis is in her comfort zone when she writes about the mistreatment, the prejudice, and the unfair points of view Americans, especially conservative white Republicans, hold against Black Americans.
Read Shemika’s latest opinion article to see if you agree with her views about Black respect.
Shemika Gay Davis is the wife of Anthony Davis and the mother three children: Jamarion, Keveian, and Kennedy. She is the daughter of Gwendolyn Gay, the granddaughter of the late Lucille Gay Blow, and the great granddaughter of Bob “Pa Bob” Gay and Lillie “Ma Lillie” Parker Gay.
A gathering of brothers, sisters, a father, an uncle, children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends joined togethet to proclaim the 60th birthday of Mary Alice Gay Worsley.
Pastor Elder Mary Worsley, wife of Deacon Charles Worsley, is the fifth child of Deacon David Gay, Sr. and the late Mary Whitehurst Gay. Mary Alice is also the granddaughter of the late Robert “Pa Bob” Gay and the late Lillie “Ma Lillie” Parker Gay.
Sophia Gay Jones. oldest sister of Mary Alice and one of the event planners, gathered and submitted the following pictures that tell the story of Mary Alice’s 60th birthday party.
by Bob Gay Family, could you please help me congratulate Sheila, my wife, on completing her masters in social work?… I don’t know of a language that accurately describes how I feel; but my soul is beaming…. Congratulations, sweet bear….
4.0 GPA Graduate certificate in addiction counseling Did her internship at the same place her father in law, Deacon David Gay, worked… Walter B Jones ADATC (alcohol and drug abuse treatment center)
I’m excited to share that after almost 18 years of working in various healthcare leadership roles, I leaped into full time entrepreneurship. In January 2023, Health Evolve Technologies was given birth with the goal of closing the gap on health inequities.
As many of you know, I suffered from HELLP Syndrome, a life threatening hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, in 2012. We lost our daughter, Lauren Kelly, in the process. My husband, Terrell, and I then went on to start a lifetime calling of health advocacy work.
Kim A Smith, Founder & CEO of Health Evolve
I decided it was time to “evolve” into an innovator – primarily because the health outcomes for people that look like us are not improving fast enough. In fact, some health conditions have worse outcomes today than 10 years ago.
At Health Evolve we build patient-centered technologies at the intersection of care and culture. Global health equity is our primary focus. We believe that the rise of patient partners is our greatest opportunity to close the health equity gap. Our comprehensive and simple tools equip patients as partners and position providers with clinical insights needed for a personalized experience.
We have two products so far. We built a Health Culture Index to help hospitals, insurance companies and others better understand the experiences that diverse communities have when encountering health services. I have some exciting corporate partnerships around this Index that I will be announcing in the coming months.
Now, our software engineer and development team is building the prototype for our flagship clinical application. I named it “Lauren” in honor of our daughter. One day, you will be able to download my Lauren app from your APP store and manage your hypertension in a convenient and fun way.
The Lord downloaded these inventions into my spirit AFTER I gave Him my yes. I’m not talking about salvation- cause that was already done many years ago. I’m talking about allowing Him to guide you in every area of life.
Family, we know that giving God a yes and allowing Him to direct your next moves is the best decision we can ever make.
I’m on a faith journey and ask for your continued prayers. I am standing on Jeremiah 29:11 and Jeremiah 33:3.
Kim A. Smith is the daughter of Dr. Eunice Gay, the granddaughter of the late Lucille Gay Blow, and the great granddaughter of the late “Pa” Bob Gay and “Ma” Lillie Parker Gay.
The Vines Sisters & Family pause during their performance tour in Switzerland: Johnny Ray Daniels, Alice Vines, Dorothy”Sis” Daniels, Mattie Harper, Curt Harper. Back: Anthony “Amp” Daniels and Joe Daniels
From the time when she was a little girl, Dorothy (Sis, to everyone) sang at home, at school, and at church. And the singing at church became a dominant power in her life.
Sis remembers and talks about how the family gathered at Pa and Ma’s house when she was growing up
Sis spent over five decades singing and helping to spread the gospel through song. As a member of The Glorifying Vines Sisters, Sis sang lead on “Call on God,” “How Long,” and “Getting Ready to Go.” She performed and recorded “A Thousand Tongues,” as a duet with her son, Amp.
Dorothy “Sis” Daniels delivering a spiritual message through her singing and testimony.
Anthony “Amp” Daniels shares his thoughts about his mother:
It began in a 2-story red house on Statonburgs Road, rural Pitt County, Greenville, North Carolina. There, God endowed/painted an anointing internally that transcends outwardly to impact others. There was always a knowing internally that something different was unexplainable, an unstoppable destiny and purpose designed to interrupt the activity meant to hinder, with the divine anointing of fire.
Through elements of life, God purposefully set the pathway through life’s challenges, and seemingly unpenetrable odds were divinely orchestrated for my triumph. Reflection over the years echoes the wisdom of my Late Grandparents, Robert and Lillie Gay, and Mother, Lucille Blow, enabling a knowing “My Redeemer Lives” And “I Learned to Depend On God” are my portion of perseverance “Keep Going.”
Furthermore, a flame ignites from Andre Crouch’s Tribute, “To God Be the Glory,” Maya Angelou’s poem, “Life Doesn’t Frighten., Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken,” and a life-changing poem. “I Shall Not Pass This Way Again.” And a thought-provoking fictional book, The Shack” by William Young.
My heartbeats: Kim and Terrell (sons: Tyson, Cameron, Austin), Crystal, and Angela filled my life with joy, love, laughter, happiness, and tears of being a Mom and Grandma. I determined my divas would roar high, and so they are and Still fills my heart. The joy of being a grandma is “icing.”
A Four-Step Model, “Stay Focused, Linked Up, Pursue, and Conquer,” allowed me to impact the lives of many individuals in the PK-12 Public School and Community College educational systems as an educator and administrator. Why pursue a Doctor of Education Degree, specializing in Educational Leadership and Management, evolves an affirmation of being positioned to upset the norm. There is an urgency and demand for peculiar people to produce unusable outcomes.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”Roman 8:28
Crystal Gay, Kim Gay Smith, Dr. Eunice M. Gay, Angela Gay
My mom is our hero. We have many memories of our mom’s journey. What stands out the most are two things – (1) her trust in God and (2) her devotion to family. To put it plainly, as our mother reached out to God as her guide, she kept her hand back to lead others in His ways. As the daughters of an educator and minister, she deposited 4 core beliefs in us. Any cousin or family friend can more than likely quote these words:
From Her Daughters
1. Stay Focused
2. Link Up
3. Pursue
4. Conquer
Every car ride to school included prayer and reciting this life mantra. She taught us how to speak life into our future with great expectations. Yes, her hand extended back to us to lead us in His ways. Now that we are older, we greatly appreciate who she is in our lives. When the day came that she shared her desire to pursue her doctorate, we had so many questions.
We wondered why now and how long will it take. We quickly shifted our mindset to what she taught us through this life mantra, as listed above. I quickly understood that she was in pursuit of something greater. She was not going to stop until she conquered her goal. As the Word of God reminds us in Philippians 3:13-14, she pressed towards the mark.
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
Today, we want to take a moment to give honor and acknowledge her accomplishing her dream of becoming Dr. Eunice May Gay. She will soon walk across the stage at Capella University’s Commencement at the Charlotte Convention Center with a Doctor of Education Degree, Specializing in Educational Leadership and Management.
Dr. Gay’s dissertation is titled, “The Impact of Teacher Attrition and Low Morale.”. Many years of servicing in the PK-12 and Community College educational system prompted her pursuing a Doctor of Education Degree, further impacting educational leadership at the state and national levels.
So, family, join us in celebrating Dr. Eunice M.Gay. Her commencement program will take place on Friday, March 3, 2023. While seats are limited, you can certainly view the graduation online when the information becomes available.
As you give her flowers while she is yet here – albeit through encouraging words or gifts, we also remind you to continue your press towards the mark.
Let the words of Jeremiah ring in your hearts. “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord…” Psalm 37: 23
If you thought all the family birthday parties were over for 2022 in the Gay-Parker family, you were wrong.
Why? Because on Sunday, December 18, 2022, eight children, several grandchildren, a wife, a brother, a crowd of nieces, nephews, church friends and church leaders, and a virtual accompaniment of the same types helped “Rob,” Uncle Rob, Bishop Robert James Gay celebrate his 90th birthday at the Greenville, NC Hilton.
“Rob,” dominantly known as Bishop and Uncle Rob, is the 9th child of the late Ma Lillie Parker Gay(1897-1984) and the late “Pa Bob” Robert Gay(1896-1978). Bishop-Uncle Rob Gay was born on December 22, 1932 on the Stantonsburg Road, about three miles from Joyner’s Crossroads.
Bishop-Uncle Rob Gay is marrIed to Mother Ethel Gay. He is the father of Billy Boyd, Dorothy “Tut” Gay, Robert “Bud” Gay, Peggy Wadsworth, Tim Gay, Pam James, Tawanna Johnson, and Kareem Gay. Bishop Uncle Rob is also the brother of Deacon David Gay.
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