CCC - ENewsletter - July 2016

CCC Member Spotlight

Remembering Dr. Lillie Mae Jackson
By Stanley O. Williford
Director of Publications

Dr. Lillie Jackson was a small woman who made a huge impact on others, especially in the correctional facilities of Los Angeles County as well as at Crenshaw Christian Center.

Dr. Lillie was born in Utica, Mississippi, on December 28, 1940, but grew up in Los Angeles, having arrived in the city with her parents when she was a year old. She had at various times owned such businesses as a day care, a florist shop, an investment company, and seven group homes, including a prayer house. After leaving the day-to-day business world, she returned to school, earning a bachelor’s degree in counseling, a master’s in business administration and a doctorate in religious/education studies.

Short of stature at four feet, eleven inches, she was well known and well regarded as a volunteer chaplain at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, the Men’s Central Jail and Central Juvenile Hall. She also taught Bible studies for incarcerated women and the mentally ill.
Dr. George McDonald had his first encounter with Chaplain Lillie Mae Jackson when she approached him at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall about 35 years ago and told him: “You should be a chaplain.”

Dr. McDonald wondered who she was and what gave her the authority to speak into his life. But shortly after that, he said the Lord told him, “You should be a chaplain.”

He then, obediently, began training under Chaplain Lillie.

“She was a great inspiration to get me started,” he told the gathering at her Celebration of Life service on March 31.

She was 76 young, always jovial, and in apparent good health.

The testimonies about Chaplain Lillie overflowed with love and humor. They demonstrated that Dr. Lillie – as she was known at Crenshaw Christian Center – was a joyous and powerfully effective presence, not only at church, but in the jails and juvenile detention centers or wherever else she ministered.

Besides CCC members, a large contingent from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and its Religious Volunteer Services sector were also in attendance.

Chaplain Sandy Napue, a neighbor, often chauffeured Dr. Lillie in her later years, although Dr. Lillie owned four cars, including a Rolls-Royce and a classic sport Mercedes. However, she preferred not to drive much, except to church.   While Chaplain Napue drove, Dr. Lillie would speak in tongues with her hand moving in the air as if she was taking charge of the atmosphere. Chaplain Napue said Dr. Lillie seemed to be clearing a path for them in the spirit.

“She never had a cell phone. She wouldn’t know what to do with it,” Chaplain Napue told the gathering.

“She never had cable. She wouldn’t know what to do with it.”

Speaking of her impact on incarcerated youth, she said,   “They didn’t know who Jesus was, but when they met Dr. Lillie they knew.”

“I want to say this to all of you,” she told those present. “(Do) you want to know who is a Christian? Dr. Lillie was a Christian. She just lived the life. Dr. Lillie was my example. She was my mentor and best friend.”

Chaplain Cheryl Vaultz, a bail bond agent, had a similar testimony. She said Dr. Lillie, took her under her wings. “She groomed me. She was my mentor.”

Chaplain Vaultz said she once worked for Bank of America, but left because the bank would not give her a fifty cents an hour raise.
“Start your own business,” Dr. Lillie advised.

Chaplain Vaultz said she did just that, and succeeded so well that she eventually bought several homes, two of which she paid off with cash.

“No one can replace her,” she said of Dr. Lillie.

Mrs. Georgia Brown befriended Dr. Lillie in the days when she owned the day care. That was before she became a chaplain or was known as “Dr. Lillie.” Mrs. Brown, a longtime Crenshaw member, spoke of how the Holy Spirit worked through her friend. “I never saw anything like in my life,” she said.

She remembered how parents would bring their sick children to the day care, although they weren’t supposed to, and Dr. Lillie would take them anyway. But by the time they went home, Mrs. Brown recalled, they were no longer sick. Some would come in crying, but when Dr. Lillie held them they would immediately stop.

During that time Dr. Lillie held a Bible study on Thursday evenings in her home. She always kept the door open so that anyone who wanted to could simply walk in. One night a man they didn’t know walked in and became disruptive. Dr. Lillie walked up to him, put her hand on his head and said, “In the name of Jesus . . . ! ” The man went out under the power of God before she could finish.
After the day care Dr. Lillie owned a florist shop where she always kept soft praise music playing, Mrs. Brown said. One day a man walked in and began looking around. She asked him if she could help him. He said no and continued to look around. Finally, he headed toward the door, but then stopped, turned back, and told her he had come to rob her but couldn’t do it with all the praise music playing. He then walked out.

On another occasion, in the parking lot while leaving the shop one night, a man approached her violently with some kind of club in his upraised hand. Dr. Lillie laughed, and shouted, in the name of Jesus . . . ! Terrified, the man turned and rushed from the store into the street traffic in a frantic attempt to get away. Dr. Lillie stood watching, praying that he wouldn’t be hurt.

These were some of the testimonies about Dr. Lillie and how she spent hours praying in tongues. She had received the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues after hearing the word of faith as taught by Apostle Frederick K. C. Price in the late 1970s.

Donte Jackson, Dr. Lillie’s grandson, said when he was younger his grandmother would always tell him, “Come let’s pray.”

”I don’t know what I’m saying,” he would tell her in protest. “That’s okay. The devil doesn’t either,” she’d say.

To CCC executive assistant Mindy Reid-Glaser Dr. Lillie was her “spiritual mother.”

“There was nothing I didn’t go to Dr. Lillie about,” she said. “In my family we would fight about who would call Dr. Lillie first. Some of the most precious days of my life were when I had her in my home. I’m so thankful for her being in my life.”

One of the family members Reid-Glaser had to “fight” to call Dr. Lillie was her son Michael Reid, a college student, who said Dr. Lillie had been his prayer partner since 2011. “I thank the Holy Spirit for Dr. Lillie every day," he told those at the service. "The very day I met her I learned how to pray in tongues, and I still do it to this very day.”

Judge Howard Hom told the gathering that “It was a privilege to have seen Dr. Lillie with our own eyes. When you were with her she would speak in tongues. She was always able to maintain joy and happiness in the face of dangerous situations.”

Mrs. Angela M. Evans, CEO of CCC, speaking directly to the family, said:

“I’ve never seen her upset. She always had a smile on her face, and never an unkind word to say. She will be sorely missed.

“We loved her. We love you and wish you the best,” she said while extending the ministry’s support.

After the memorial, John Smith, a longtime CCC member and usher, remembered how Dr. Lillie would arrive long before Sunday services to lay hands on the seats as she prayed it tongues.

Mark McVay, pastor of Meno Worship and Outreach Center in Inglewood, officiated at the service. “I came to know her when I started volunteering as a Protestant chaplain at Central Juvenile Hall,” said Pastor McVay, who first met Dr. Lillie about 35 years ago.

“She was really committed person, committed to prayer,” he said in a phone interview. “That was really her emphasis, particularly praying in tongues. She was very loving and non-judgmental. She had a genuine concern for the wards at Juvenile Hall as well as the adults in the county jail system.”

She was very effective in ministering the Holy Spirit, he said. “It [her passing] was a great loss.”

Like others who were caught unawares at her passing, he said: “I’ve never known her to ever be sick, not to even have a cold. She walked [for exercise] every single day and she was committed to eating right.”

Was it likely, he was asked, that it was simply her choice to leave this world?

“It is possible that like Enoch she walked on into glory,” he said.



CCC Member Spotlight Remembering Dr. Lillie Mae Jackson By Stanley O. Williford Director of Publications Dr. Lillie Jackson was a small woman who made a huge impact on others, especially in the correctional facilities of Los Angeles County as well as at Crenshaw Christian Center. Dr. Lillie was born in Utica, Mississippi, on December 28, 1940, but grew up in Los Angeles, having arrived in the city with her parents when she was a year old. She had at various times owned such businesses as a day care, a florist shop, an investment company, and seven group homes, including a prayer house. After leaving the day-to-day business world, she returned to school, earning a bachelor’s degree in counseling, a master’s in business administration and a doctorate in religious/education studies. Short of stature at four feet, eleven inches, she was well known and well regarded as a volunteer chaplain at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, the Men’s Central Jail and Central Juvenile Hall. She also taught Bible studies for incarcerated women and the mentally ill. Dr. George McDonald had his first encounter with Chaplain Lillie Mae Jackson when she approached him at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall about 35 years ago and told him: “You should be a chaplain.” Dr. McDonald wondered who she was and what gave her the authority to speak into his life. But shortly after that, he said the Lord told him, “You should be a chaplain.” He then, obediently, began training under Chaplain Lillie. “She was a great inspiration to get me started,” he told the gathering at her Celebration of Life service on March 31. She was 76 young, always jovial, and in apparent good health. The testimonies about Chaplain Lillie overflowed with love and humor. They demonstrated that Dr. Lillie – as she was known at Crenshaw Christian Center – was a joyous and powerfully effective presence, not only at church, but in the jails and juvenile detention centers or wherever else she ministered. Besides CCC members, a large contingent from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and its Religious Volunteer Services sector were also in attendance. Chaplain Sandy Napue, a neighbor, often chauffeured Dr. Lillie in her later years, although Dr. Lillie owned four cars, including a Rolls-Royce and a classic sport Mercedes. However, she preferred not to drive much, except to church. While Chaplain Napue drove, Dr. Lillie would speak in tongues with her hand moving in the air as if she was taking charge of the atmosphere. Chaplain Napue said Dr. Lillie seemed to be clearing a path for them in the spirit. “She never had a cell phone. She wouldn’t know what to do with it,” Chaplain Napue told the gathering. “She never had cable. She wouldn’t know what to do with it.” Speaking of her impact on incarcerated youth, she said, “They didn’t know who Jesus was, but when they met Dr. Lillie they knew.” “I want to say this to all of you,” she told those present. “(Do) you want to know who is a Christian? Dr. Lillie was a Christian. She just lived the life. Dr. Lillie was my example. She was my mentor and best friend.” Chaplain Cheryl Vaultz, a bail bond agent, had a similar testimony. She said Dr. Lillie, took her under her wings. “She groomed me. She was my mentor.” Chaplain Vaultz said she once worked for Bank of America, but left because the bank would not give her a fifty cents an hour raise. “Start your own business,” Dr. Lillie advised. Chaplain Vaultz said she did just that, and succeeded so well that she eventually bought several homes, two of which she paid off with cash. “No one can replace her,” she said of Dr. Lillie. Mrs. Georgia Brown befriended Dr. Lillie in the days when she owned the day care. That was before she became a chaplain or was known as “Dr. Lillie.” Mrs. Brown, a longtime Crenshaw member, spoke of how the Holy Spirit worked through her friend. “I never saw anything like in my life,” she said. She remembered how parents would bring their sick children to the day care, although they weren’t supposed to, and Dr. Lillie would take them anyway. But by the time they went home, Mrs. Brown recalled, they were no longer sick. Some would come in crying, but when Dr. Lillie held them they would immediately stop. During that time Dr. Lillie held a Bible study on Thursday evenings in her home. She always kept the door open so that anyone who wanted to could simply walk in. One night a man they didn’t know walked in and became disruptive. Dr. Lillie walked up to him, put her hand on his head and said, “In the name of Jesus . . . ! ” The man went out under the power of God before she could finish. After the day care Dr. Lillie owned a florist shop where she always kept soft praise music playing, Mrs. Brown said. One day a man walked in and began looking around. She asked him if she could help him. He said no and continued to look around. Finally, he headed toward the door, but then stopped, turned back, and told her he had come to rob her but couldn’t do it with all the praise music playing. He then walked out. On another occasion, in the parking lot while leaving the shop one night, a man approached her violently with some kind of club in his upraised hand. Dr. Lillie laughed, and shouted, in the name of Jesus . . . ! Terrified, the man turned and rushed from the store into the street traffic in a frantic attempt to get away. Dr. Lillie stood watching, praying that he wouldn’t be hurt. These were some of the testimonies about Dr. Lillie and how she spent hours praying in tongues. She had received the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues after hearing the word of faith as taught by Apostle Frederick K. C. Price in the late 1970s. Donte Jackson, Dr. Lillie’s grandson, said when he was younger his grandmother would always tell him, “Come let’s pray.” ”I don’t know what I’m saying,” he would tell her in protest. “That’s okay. The devil doesn’t either,” she’d say. To CCC executive assistant Mindy Reid-Glaser Dr. Lillie was her “spiritual mother.” “There was nothing I didn’t go to Dr. Lillie about,” she said. “In my family we would fight about who would call Dr. Lillie first. Some of the most precious days of my life were when I had her in my home. I’m so thankful for her being in my life.” One of the family members Reid-Glaser had to “fight” to call Dr. Lillie was her son Michael Reid, a college student, who said Dr. Lillie had been his prayer partner since 2011. “I thank the Holy Spirit for Dr. Lillie every day," he told those at the service. "The very day I met her I learned how to pray in tongues, and I still do it to this very day.” Judge Howard Hom told the gathering that “It was a privilege to have seen Dr. Lillie with our own eyes. When you were with her she would speak in tongues. She was always able to maintain joy and happiness in the face of dangerous situations.” Mrs. Angela M. Evans, CEO of CCC, speaking directly to the family, said: “I’ve never seen her upset. She always had a smile on her face, and never an unkind word to say. She will be sorely missed. “We loved her. We love you and wish you the best,” she said while extending the ministry’s support. After the memorial, John Smith, a longtime CCC member and usher, remembered how Dr. Lillie would arrive long before Sunday services to lay hands on the seats as she prayed it tongues. Mark McVay, pastor of Meno Worship and Outreach Center in Inglewood, officiated at the service. “I came to know her when I started volunteering as a Protestant chaplain at Central Juvenile Hall,” said Pastor McVay, who first met Dr. Lillie about 35 years ago. “She was really committed person, committed to prayer,” he said in a phone interview. “That was really her emphasis, particularly praying in tongues. She was very loving and non-judgmental. She had a genuine concern for the wards at Juvenile Hall as well as the adults in the county jail system.” She was very effective in ministering the Holy Spirit, he said. “It [her passing] was a great loss.” Like others who were caught unawares at her passing, he said: “I’ve never known her to ever be sick, not to even have a cold. She walked [for exercise] every single day and she was committed to eating right.” Was it likely, he was asked, that it was simply her choice to leave this world? “It is possible that like Enoch she walked on into glory,” he said.

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