DEACON-ELECT PATRICIA SHELL

My name is Deacon-Elect Patricia Shell. I was born Patricia Wilson in Beaumont, Texas.  In the early 1960's I was a member of East Mount Olive Baptist Church.  As the young daughter of Ruth, raised by my grandmother, we moved to Brooklyn, New York, in the early 1970s. I then joined Salem missionary Baptist Church.  

My educational journey started at PS 92. Then onward to Walt Whitman Junior high School, then Erasmus Hall High School. By the time I was approximately 16, I had decided to go into the Job Corp with my parental guidance permission. That's around the time that in my heart, I felt I was not content spiritually.   

Moving forward, I met my first husband and was married at the age of 17. At that time, I had one son Roger Wilson. In my early twenties, I decided to go to the School of hard knocks. I thank the Lord God that kept me safe all this time day. Moving forward to 1990, I gave birth to Thomas Sterling Shell, and two years later, I gave birth to Nefertiti Tyesha Shell. I realized that I was not honest with my own sexual identity at this point in my life. That's when I was introduced to Unity Fellowship of Christ Church in Brooklyn, New York, on Classon Avenue.  

Where around this time, I wanted to better myself educationally. I was not sure as to where that journey would take me, so I enrolled in BMCC. I was not content, so I thought about what had happened to me in life, and I said I wanted to help other people. I redirected myself and went to the college of investigations/Catherine Gibbs, which did not work for me either. At that point, I realized that I wanted to help other people. I picked up the phone book, went through the phone book, and found this agency called life spire, where I started my employment in the early 2000s. I've stayed there for 14 years, working under New York State OMRDD. THIS WORK WAS VERY FULFILLING, AND IT MOVED TO MY HEART.  

My spiritual journey had already begun, but it led me to Unity Fellowship of Christ Church. I joined the praise team and started my life with a new family, my spiritual family. In early 2000 I moved away from unity for a while. Within that time, my spiritual journey started to be shaped by God's hands. Low and behold, around 2015, my spiritual journey led me back to unity fellowship Church NYC where I first joined the praise team and worked in the church doing things that moved my spirits. God moved my heart further to start my journey as a deacon candidate where I'm still working to find ways to help others and within my spiritual home. I know that God wants me to manifest into what God desires me to be. I know that the Lord is leading me along the way. All I can say is thank you, Lord, for your love and trust and for whatever is ahead of me. Peace and blessings to all again. My name is Deacon-Elect Patricia Shell.