Sis. Valerie Hall Chestnut Program

Friday, December 1, 2023

Visitation: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM / Celebration of Life: 7:00 PM Grace Chapel Baptist Church 22-26 Haledon Avenue, Paterson, New Jersey 07522 Pastor Gregory L. Wilson

Order of Worship

Worship Leader: Pastor Rufus V. Strother

Pastor, Orient Church of God, Jersey City, New Jersey President, New Jersey State Ministerial Conference

Prelude .........................................................................................................................................................................

Call to Worship & Invocation ................................................................................................................................

Hymn of Celebration ..............................................................................................................Blessed Assurance Scripture Readings Old Testament – Psalm 121 & New Testament – Revelation 21:1-5 ........ Pastor Cherrena Dale-Rawls Community Church of God, Plainfield, New Jersey Prayer of Comfort .........................................................................................Pastor N. Frances Tann-Morton Reformed Church of God, Paterson, New Jersey Selection ....................................................................................................... New Jersey State Fellowship Choir Remarks (3 minutes, please) ..........................................................................................Reverend Al Murkey Elizabeth Church of God Family Reverend Dr. James Dargan Pastor Emeritus, Community Church of God, Newark, New Jersey Pastor Melvin Farmer New York Avenue Church of God, Atlantic City, New Jersey Pastor Lois Key-Alexander Life Abundant Church of God, Trenton, New Jersey Tameika Chestnut, Daughter Family Tribute ................................................................................................................................John Hall, Son Remarks/Acknowledgements/Obituary...................................... Reverend Dr. Scott O. Cumberbatch Selection ....................................................................................................... New Jersey State Fellowship Choir Eulogy ......................................................................................................................Pastor Warren F. McDowell Prophetic Church of God, Paterson, New Jersey Benediction & Recessional ....................................................................................................................................

Interment: Saturday, December 2, 2023 – 10:00 AM East Ridgelawn Cemetery, 255 Main Avenue, Clifton, New Jersey 07014 Repast: Saturday, December 2, 2023 – 11:00 AM Prophetic Church of God, 123-125 N. 5th Street, Paterson, New Jersey 07522

Blessed Assurance VERSE 1 Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

REFRAIN

This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.

VERSE 2 Perfect submission, perfect delight, Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; Angels, descending, bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

VERSE 3 Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest, Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

The Poet ’s Tale

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

A time to be born…

Valerie M. (Hall) Chestnut was born on July 30, 1956 to the Elder John H. and Mildred Y. (Lewis) Hall in Paterson, New Jersey.

A time to plant…

Educated in the Paterson Public Schools, Valerie ultimately graduated from Eastside High School. During her years at Eastside, she served as Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper and developed an affinity for poetry.

Simple, momentary thoughts would develop into beautiful poems – a gift for which she became popular throughout her family and church community.

Valerie was also a childhood member of the Prophetic Church of God under the pastorate of the late Rev. Walter L. Damon and the late Rev. Joseph Copeland, her maternal uncle. In June 1964, she became a founding member of the Elizabeth Church of God, where her father was Pastor.

After graduating from Eastside, Valerie attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. In 1976, she was united in holy matrimony to Felix Chestnut. She returned to her native Paterson, and for 47 years, they remained together.

Valerie continued her membership at Elizabeth COG, serving as a choir member, Sunday School instructor and superintendent, and director of Vacation Bible School. She forged many relationships with the youth of her local congregation, as well as those within the community and the New Jersey State Church of God fellowship.

Her dedication to Christian Education afforded her the opportunity to serve in various capacities within the New Jersey State Ministerial Conference of the Church of God, ultimately becoming Superintendent of the New Jersey State Sunday School.

Valerie remained a dedicated and active member of the Elizabeth Church of God for fifty-five (55) years until the church’s ultimate closure and her father’s retirement in September 2019. Valerie returned to Prophetic Church of God (now under the pastorate of Rev. Warren F. McDowell). Notably, even when she could not attend in-person, she was consistently active with the online community worshipping weekly until her health began to decline.

Apart from her church and familial responsibilities, Valerie was also employed by Midlantic Bank, Daisy Footwear, New York Sash & Door, and for the last twenty (20) years, Fairclough Oil Company of Paterson, New Jersey.

A time to reap…

On Wednesday, November 22, 2023 (Thanksgiving Eve), having fought a valiant fight and kept the faith, Valerie Val erie finished her earthly course to find rest in the presence of the Almighty God. Preceding her in death are her father, Elder John H. Hall; her maternal grandparents, Rev. James and Mrs. Mary (Copeland) Alexander; her paternal grandparents, Mr. Jordan and Mrs. Roxey (Hall) Josey; and a bonus daughter, Sarah.

Left to cherish precious memories, Valerie leaves her beloved husband, Felix; son, John (Bridgette); daughter, Tameika; bonus children, Phyllis, James, Shamene, and Felix; her mother, Mildred Y. Hall; her sister, Yvonne (David); one aunt, Henrietta Josey; and a host of grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and the PCOG, New Jersey State, and National Association of the Church of God families.