Annie's Angels

by D. Ray Lewis

Many people live a lifetime without realizing the impact they have on others. Recently, my family and I had the privilege of visiting Oak Grove Free Will Baptist Church in Elm City, North Carolina, when one such individual was honored for a life well spent.

Her name was Annie (pictured above). She was a 5’ 4” stoop-shouldered little lady with nothing about her appearance that made her stand out in a crowd. As a matter of fact, she preferred to stay in the background. She was never comfortable being the center of attention.

Annie did not have an easy life. She was born April 12, 1923. Adopted at birth, she never learned anything about her birth parents or the circumstances that led to her adoption. She never lost the desire to know who her parents had been and why they gave her away.

Annie grew up in a poor, often abusive home. One winter when she was small, she did not have a coat to keep her warm, so her mother pieced a coat together from old scraps of material left from other sewing projects. Annie thought her “coat of many colors” was the prettiest thing she had ever seen. But the next morning when she boarded the school bus, the kids on the bus began laughing and making fun of her coat of many colors. Years later, every time she heard Dolly Parton sing “Coat of Many Colors” the tears would flow because she was reminded of her own painful childhood memories.

When she was 15, she married Edwin. Seven children were born to this union. Life was tough for this sharecropper family. The farms they worked were large when it came to getting the work done, but too small to provide a decent living for a family of nine. Often, there was little food; sometimes, none at all. Many times Annie would come in from the fields after working all day and prepare dinner for the family. She would tell them to go ahead and eat, saying, “I’m not hungry.” Her children believed her then, but now know she must have been starving, sacrificing her own needs for those of her family.

Annie’s marriage to Edwin ended in 1958. Six of the seven children were still at home and in school. Her only work experience was farm work, cotton mill labor, and caring for the home. She was determined, however, to take care of her children. Someone told her about an interior design shop that needed a seamstress. She applied for the job and after begging the owner to hire her was hired at a salary of $25 a week.

She could not afford to ride the bus, so she walked two miles to and from work every day, no matter how hot or cold, no matter if the sun was shining, or if it was raining or snowing. But she took care of her family. Though she had to beg for the job, soon people were begging her to do their work because she did such beautiful handwork. Eventually, one of her window treatments ended up on the front cover of a well-known national magazine.

Annie was always a good, moral person, insisting that her children attend Sunday School and church. Since they didn’t have a car, they walked to whatever church was nearest their home. In 1969, after all seven children were married and living away, Annie started attending a small neighborhood church where she committed her life to the Lord. With a fifth grade education and lack of religious training, it would have been easy for Annie just to attend and warm the pews, but even in those early days as a young Christian she assisted in the children’s ministry. She called the children, “my little darlings.”

In her later years, when she was no longer able to help in children’s church and Sunday School classes and could no longer drive to visit the sick and shut-ins, she found another area of service. She became an encourager. Through the years she sent hundreds of cards of encouragement to people in her church and community.

On June 3, 2010, Annie passed away, leaving a gaping hole at the Oak Grove Church. The people she loved so dearly wanted to do something special to honor her. Even the little children that she loved on every Sunday wanted to do something for “Granny Rooks.”

Shortly after her death, a dream began to come together for the good people of Oak Grove. They decided to build a playground for the children of the church and community and name it “Annie’s Angels Playground.” The children started raising money through a program called “Dollars for Darlings.” The women’s group also started raising funds. Soon, the entire church was involved in plans to build “Annie’s Angels Playground.”

On July 22, 2012, the dream became reality as a dedication service was held for the newly completed playground. Annie’s great granddaughter and great great grandson were the first two children allowed into the playground to “test drive” all the wonderful equipment. One person after another stood and shared their stories of times in their lives when they needed a word of encouragement, or needed to know that someone was praying for them; they would go to their mailbox and find a card from Annie.

A young father recalled moments when, as a young boy needing direction in his life, he would go to the mailbox and find a card from “Granny” reminding him that God had great plans for his life, and encouraging him to seek God’s way. A young college student told about when she was a little girl, and her mother gave birth to twins. When she felt left out or neglected, Granny would pull her aside and tell her how special she was, reminding her that God loved her and that she loved her too.

Person after person stood either to read a card they had received from Annie or to share about how this little stoop-shouldered lady influenced their lives for good. It’s amazing that Annie never realized how deeply she impacted the lives of so many. Thank you, Oak Grove, for honoring this precious Christian woman.

Churches are filled with people like Annie. If we aren’t careful, we overlook them even though they have so much to offer. The “Annies” in your church may be your greatest prayer warriors, your greatest encouragers, and your greatest mentors for the younger generation—your greatest allies when troubles come. Be careful not to overlook these valuable servants of God because of their age or what you consider to be their limitations.

Annie was just an ordinary lady who, in her own quiet unassuming way, greatly impacted many lives. Some called her Annie, some called her Granny, some called her Sister Rooks. But to me, she was just Mom.

About the Writer: D. Ray Lewis joined the Free Will Baptist Board of Retirement in 1983. He became director in 2005 after serving for several years as assistant director.