Mrs. Christine Phillips

Mrs. Phillips went had her homecoming on Tuesday, December 1, 2009. I didn't know Christine as much as I would have liked and only had the privilege of being her pastor for a short 10 months. Although I have only been at Mt Zion Baptist for a short time, however, Christine had been there making a difference for a quite some time. In looking at the church records we found that she joined by baptism on August 17, 1960. She was not just a name on a church roll, but was active in serving her Savior by serving others as she taught in Sunday school and was active in the Ladies ministry. Her ministry had an impact on a young boy, Jeremy Dikes who was her neighbor as he grew up. Pastor Jeremy, now 35 yrs old preached her "graduation" service and described Christine as a reflection of a Proverbs 31 woman.

The funeral was held on Thursday and I went to the funeral home early and was astonished at the number of people that came through for the viewing and encouraged Herman and the family. It took me 25 minutes to finally see Christine and her husband Herman. That long line remained right up to the service time, which was a great testimony about Christine and preached a message to this pastor and confirmed again in my mind that Christine followed the Great Commandment and Loved the Lord and others with all her heart. What an impact she has made with her life on the Kingdom of God!

We will miss Christine and while our grief may seem insurmountable, I am compelled to remind us that there is no weight of the soul that our savior Jesus Christ cannot help us to bear. He is with us and wants us to trust in him as we cope with our sorrow. We must not ever forget to allow the Holy Spirit, Who’s name is Comforter to minister to our hearts so that he may heal our wounds and relieve your pain. As Jesus says to all of us, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”

Life is but a Stopping Place
Life is but a stopping place,
A pause in what's to be,
A resting place along the road,
to sweet eternity.
We all have different journeys,
Different paths along the way,
We all were meant to learn some things,
but never meant to stay...
Our destination is a place,
Far greater than we know.
For some the journey's quicker,
For some the journey's slow.
And when the journey finally ends,
We'll claim a grAnd find an everlasting peace,
Together with "Christine" and the lord
-Author unknown

-Obituary
Mrs. Christine Harris Phillips, age 78, Jonesborough, passed away Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at the Johnson City Medical Center. Mrs. Phillips was a native of Washington County and daughter of the late Frank & Lilly Cole McKee. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Phillips was also preceded in death by one brother, Everett McKee and one sister, Sylvia Phillips. She was a long time member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, where she helped with Bible School and Sunday school. She was also a member of the Mt. Zion Ladies Circle. Mrs. Phillips retired from Woolworth’s as Assistant Manager. Survivors include her husband, Herman Phillips, Jonesborough; step-daughter, Jan Neal and husband, Allen, Jonesborough; step-son, Sherrill Phillips and wife Janie, Jonesborough; three sisters and brother-in-law, Mary Malone, Martha & Howard Coggins, all of Jonesborough and Louise Matson, Pennsylvania; half-sister, Shirley Bennett, Nashville, Tenn. ; step-grandchildren, Mark Phillips, Pam Phillips, Donnie Neal and Dale Neal; and several nephews and nieces.