Renee Burgess, Jerry Smith, Sharonda Smith, Tyroshia Taylor and Jihad Perry.
IRVINGTON, NJ — On Sunday, Oct. 27, Christian Pentecostal Church in Irvington recognized lifelong resident and Irvington Municipal Council President Renee C. Burgess and Minister of Christian Pentecostal Church Tyroshia Taylor, at Women’s Day, which celebrated women who exude strength in their communities.
“She is me,” both Taylor and Burgess have said during separate interviews that showcased parts of their life story that could inspire others in the Women’s Day film that was shown at the event. The film allowed a deep dive into the lives of two women who know hardship but have been able to persevere through hard times to become pillars in their communities.
Sharonda Smith, wife of pastor Jerry Smith of Christian Pentecostal Church, was also at the church event with her husband to honor the two women.
“Christian Pentecostal Church’s annual October (celebration) was astounding,” Smith told the Irvington Herald on Sunday, Nov. 3. “Our theme, ‘She is Me,’ focused on women that represent strong faith, dignity and character. As the ‘first lady’ of Christian Pentecostal Church, my desire is to equip, edify and encourage women in the church and the community and provide a sense of hope in this journey called life.”
“Honoring women in the church and the community, Councilwoman Renee Burgess and Minister Tyroshia Taylor, these two women shared their stories, reflecting on pivotal moments in life that their faith in God gave them inner strength,” she continued. “Their strong faith built character, dignity and displayed how they were gracefully broken for purpose. What I wanted people to take from their testimonies is that we all are broken in different ways. Nevertheless, we are gracefully broken. To all women: Be encouraged, don’t give up, keep going, because someone is inspired by your story.”
“Sunday service was amazing and heart chilling. To see how God continued bringing sunshine out of cloudy days,” Jerry Smith, told the Irvington Herald on Sunday, Nov. 3. “These women exposed dark areas of their lives to shine light, so other women can see a way out.”
Those dark areas are apparent when the honorees are asked to describe pivotal moments in their lives in the film; both women mention cancer.
Through an emotional testimony, Taylor describes how she discovered she had stage 2 cancer on top of her ongoing battle with congenital heart disease. Instantly, she thought of her mother, who had both diseases when she died.
“The Lord spoke to me and he reminded me of a situation where someone spoke it into my life and says that ‘This ends with you,’” Taylor says during her interview in the film. “Immediately, I started feeling strength and it was the strength from God, of course, and I said to myself, I’m not going to let this thing defeat me, I’m going to defeat it.”
“As a matter of fact,” she continues. “It’s already defeated.”
Burgess, who attributes her success to her faith and her family, took herself back to the time where her strength helped her get through her own mother’s cancer battle.
“The one time that has affected me the most was about a year and a half ago, when I lost my mom. That was my rock,” Burgess says in the film. “My mom had cancer and this was the first time that, as I told you before, I love helping people. But I couldn’t give her the help that she needed and that was a hard pill to swallow, when you’re caring for a loved one and you just don’t have the answers, you just don’t have the money, you just don’t have what it takes to heal that person.”
“When you’re going through the process of helping someone with cancer and it’s your mom, this is the person that gave you the strength to go through things in life,” Burgess continues. “When you cry, she was that shoulder and, now, I can’t give this woman what she needs to make her feel better. This whole experience made me closer to my father, God. I don’t think I prayed so hard in my life, until that situation happened.”
“Through him, I developed a peace that gave me the strength to help my mom. I was always encouraging my mom to think that she wasn’t sick and, through that, at the same time, my mom was so strong, she was encouraging me. She always kept me going.”
Once the film concluded, the two women were honored with plaques and gifts from the church. Grateful for the outpouring of love and support from the church, Burgess said she felt truly blessed to be honored and recognized for being seen as someone who can be the embodiment of strength for women.
“I was very humbled and grateful to be one of the honorees recognized by first lady Sharonda Smith, along with the Christian Pentecostal family,” Burgess told the Irvington Herald on Friday, Nov. 1. “It was a beautiful, spirit-filled service and the members were so uplifting and kind. First lady Sharonda allowed me to share some of my life challenges, in the hope of encouraging others to get through their trials and tribulations.
“I am thankful for being a part of such a memorable event.”
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