THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 15, 1996 TAG: 9608130161
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 40 lines
Annie Yancey can tell just by searching a person's face whether prayer is called for. After 30 years of interceding with God on behalf of folks in need, she's come to know the signs.
The 65-year-old Huntersville woman reaches out and takes the child's or grown-up's hands in her own ample ones, bows her head and asks for the Lord's help.
Yancey was one of 30 mainstream and home-grown ministers honored for their work at an Aug. 10 banquet at the Princess Anne Recreation Center. The event was organized by Living Sacrifice Ministries of Virginia Beach, an outreach ministry of the Rev. James Murphy, 35, and the Rev. Jackie Murphy, 32, husband and wife. The mission originated at Norfolk's Macedonia Church.
The Murphys wanted to bring together the many Hampton Roads ministries that work to help the needy, not only to honor them but also to plant the seed of a network for the ministries, large and small.
While most of those feted at the Saturday event were from Norfolk, some came from Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Hampton.
Annie Yancey might be doing some ordinary thing - washing dishes or standing at a bus stop, maybe, and suddenly someone will run up and ask her to pray with them.
``I go to God for them like I would myself,'' she says. ``I pray more and more each day since I know more about Jesus.''
Grandson Julian ``Teeney Weeney'' Pete says his grandmother is an important person in the neighborhood. Children on their way to school frequently stop by to have Yancey pray for them.
Then, too, sometimes folks ask her to come to their homes for prayer, and she goes even when she's not feeling well.
``She can feel it when somebody's in trouble,'' Julian says.
``She prays for the whole neighborhood,'' says daughter Cynthia A. Pete. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JIM WALKER
Annie Yancey was honored for her ministry. by CNB