COVER STORY 29 May 2022 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition What was your most rewarding time as a mother? The first was at six when Layla received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior because I thought, she's in God's hands now. Then last year during the pandemic Layla came to us saying she wanted to write a book. She wrote a 31-day devotional for teens called “Words for your walk.” Marcus and I helped her with scriptures. She pulled quotes from others and then she would write on those topics. When she published that book, it was one of the most rewarding times for me being a mother. Advice for women and mothers: I would say just to love God, love yourself and love others. A focus for me right now is self-care. And it really opened my eyes during the pandemic to take time for family because we don't know how long they're going to be there. Gita Santangelo Community Prayer Partner Aprayer warrior, Gita Santangelo has served on the International Prayer Team for Luis Palau Ministries and compiled several personalized prayer books as cofounder of GodHears. She and her husband Attorney Carl Santangelo have three adult children and three grandchildren and have attended Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale for many years. Recently, Santangelo is helping to develop the prayer strategy for Live the Life South Florida and their new ten-year initiative called All In. “We will be praying the third Wednesday of every month to come alongside Lisa May and the board of directors to cover them in prayer to strengthen families and marriages and the schools in South Florida.” Santangelo recalled how she began praying for the Luis Palau Ministries during prayer walks on Fort Lauderdale Beach in anticipation of BeachFest in 2002. Shortly later, she and Vee Stepelton, of the Stacy Foundation, partnered together to write a series of prayer books that could be personalized to include the name of the person being prayed for, now available at GodHears.com. Having served as a leader at Bible Study Fellowship, Santangelo said she came to faith through the Bible study and remembers reading in Luke where the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Then she learned the four steps of prayer through Moms in Touch, now a ministry called Moms in Prayer, that uses scripture to pray for their children in school. “We prayed our children would come to faith and one by one they did.” What do you believe is God’s calling for you? I have a passion for teaching God's word and sharing the power of praying his word, because it does say that His word will not return void but will accomplish the purpose for which He sent it. Is the role of women changing in the faith community? I don't know. There have been so many powerful women of God throughout the centuries. God has a special place in his heart for women. I feel like he's used many ordinary women over the centuries in extraordinary ways by the power of the Holy Spirit and his anointing. What Bible verse has encouraged you? “...to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God” (Psalm 78:5-8 NIV). What was your most challenging time as a mother? My son was involved in a near-fatal car accident at age 17 shortly after BeachFest. They airlifted him to Broward General Hospital. The Lord spared his life and I’m just so thankful. I had a Moms in Touch prayer group that morning, and I remember praying God's protection around our children. And there was an angel there because a Christian trauma nurse was at the site of the accident. She held his hand, prayed for him and stayed with them till they took him to the hospital. So, I knew the Lord was with him and I just kept praying. Now he is a testimony of God's faithfulness. What was your most rewarding time as a mother? I have no greater joy than to see that my children are walking in the truth. It’s so rewarding to see that my daughters have the gift of praying God's word. My daughter Nicole is also part of the Palau Prayer Team, so it's so rewarding to be to partner with her in the gospel. My other daughter Liz has served with me on the mission field in Africa, sharing the gospel with HIV orphans, and our son is doing well. He is a lifeguard, and in a way, he's saving lives in the ocean. Advice for women and mothers: Matthew 6:33, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these other things will be added to you as well.” To seek God and it's not always easy to do, but just to be “joyful in hope and patient in affliction and faithful in prayer,” which is Romans 12:12. Leketia Barner Dozier, Esq. The Worldwide Christian Center Church administrator at The Worldwide Christian Center, Leketia Barner Dozier, Esq. serves alongside her husband of 37 years, Pastor O’Neal Dozier. Together they have one daughter and one granddaughter, and Pastor Dozier has two older daughters. Both licensed attorneys, Leketia formerly practiced family law and now works with a variety of prominent lawyers on personal injury cases. Over the years she also taught in the Broward Public Schools before taking on a larger role at the church. Now in addition to her administrative duties, Dozier coordinates special services and events for the church and leads the women’s ministry, which hosted an annual tea prior to the pandemic and continues to meet monthly. They’ve covered topics ranging from self-defense to etiquette for ladies, including a presentation on purity before marriage by Tewannah Aman, executive director of Broward Right to Life. Since COVID, Dozier has also taught messages for the ladies on not being afraid and praising God at all times. Dozier said The Worldwide Christian Center gives to 22 missions outside the church and operates a food bank out of their fellowship hall. When asked which ministries were especially dear to her heart, she mentioned, “We love giving to the Gideons and getting the word of God in people’s hands. But Hope Women’s Centers and Broward Right to Life are very dear to my heart because I know, at least in the black community, that a lot of girls use abortion as a form of contraceptive or instead of contraception. And they’re using this over and over again, killing a whole lot of our people. I heard that of all abortions performed in the U.S. about 38 percent are on black women, but only about 12 percent of the population is black. Abortions are killing off the black race. It’s really sad and it hurts me.” What do you believe is God’s calling for you? I would say that God has called me to stand beside my husband to assist him in raising up the church in these last times in any way needed. My husband does not compromise the Word of God and God is calling for that in these last days. Is the role of women changing in the faith community? I don't want to rain on anybody's parade, but I really don't think women are called to pastor. We have a lot of that going on right now, and I don't see it in the Word of God. What Bible verse has encouraged you? My verses are Psalm 91:5-7 (KJV), “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; Nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; But it shall not come nigh thee.” What was your most challenging time as a mother? The challenging time as a mother was in our daughter’s teen years when she left home right after graduating high school and went to live with another family and their son. We were at a church event and when we came home, she was just gone. It was a stressful time with her leaving like that, and I just could not let her go like The Santangelo Family From left to right: Carl Santangelo, Scott Kimple, Liz Kimple, Elly Furno, Carl Santangelo, Gita Santangelo, Serena Furno, Nicole Furno, Sam Furno and Rob Furno. The Dozier Family From left to right: granddaughter, Righteous R. Williams; Rev. Dr. O’Neal Dozier; Leketia Barner Dozier, Esq.; daughter, Marilita Dozier Williams; son-in-law, Revius Q. Williams
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