Our Ministries

St Joseph’s Missionary Society was organized in 1889 under the leadership of Reverend Edian Markham and his wife, Mrs. Molly Markham who served as the first president of the Missionary Society. Mrs. Minnie S. Pearson who served as the second president of the Missionary Society travelled many miles in good and bad weather to bring comfort to those on lonely farms. Several years ago, it was suggested that the name of the Missionary Society be changed to honor Mrs. Minnie S. Pearson who was a great religious leader, missionary, and educator. Currently, the Women’s Missionary Society is led by Sister Mary Harris.

There are 4 units of the Minnie S. Pearson Women’s Missionary Society: the Caroline Bond Unit, the Mary C. Evans Unit, the Sarah Allen Unit, and the Truemilla Smith Unit. Some of the service projects are set by the Second Episcopal District, the Western North Carolina Conference Branch Women’s Missionary Society, and the Minnie S. Pearson Society. 

The Caroline Bond Unit, the oldest unit, was St. Joseph’s original Missionary Society started by Reverend Edian Markham and lead by his wife, Mrs. Molly Markham. The unit was named for Mrs. Caroline Bond who out of love for missions, gave the church continuous gifts. The purpose of the Carolina Bond Unit is to serve the community in times of need and to grow in knowledge and experience of God through Jesus Christ. The Caroline Bond Unit has adopted 4 homeless families during the Christmas holiday and also adopted the Carter Community Charter School. Members donated clothing items and toiletries and collected 794 books to help start a library for the school before the beginning of the 2019 school year. The unit is currently led by Sister Brenda Bradsher and has 32 members.

The Mary C. Evans Unit was organized in 1962 by Reverend Melvin Chester Swann along with the assistance of First Lady Deborah Swann and Sister Verdelle Johnston. Members of the unit visited the sick and shut in members of St. Joseph and neighboring Durham community. Sister Beulah Hill was often seen walking to deliver flowers to the less fortunate and conducting weekly bible studies with missionaries and interested members of the Durham community.

In recent years, members of the unit visited nursing homes and delivered cards and gifts throughout the year especially during the holiday season. There are also yearly visits to the Oxford Orphanage were programs and entertainment are planned as well as the sharing of monetary donations. The Mary C. Evans Unit has always been devoted to helping to improve the conditions of disadvantaged youth and the struggling battles of the forgotten adult population of Durham. Members have prepared lunches for residents of the Urban Ministries, distributed no sew blankets to the homeless and provided opportunities for the filling of school bags with school supplies and snacks as well as new coats for disadvantaged elementary school aged children. For many years coats were distributed to several local schools. However, because Burton Elementary School exhibited a greater need, the Unit partners with the Kappas of Durham and their wives and distributes forty new coats, gloves, hats and scarves to children at Burton Elementary School. Members of the unit say that their joy comes when they see smiles on the children’s and parents’ faces while they try on the coats. A warm child promotes an environment for better learning. 

The Sarah Allen Missionary Unit was established in 1978 by then Pastor, Reverend William W. Easley, Jr. and named after the wife of the first bishop of the AME Church, Mrs. Sarah Allen. The Sarah Allen Missionary Unit became the third Missionary Unit at St. Joseph joining the Caroline Bond and Mary C. Evans Units. More than 40 young women responded to the call and became charter members of the unit. Mrs. Shirley Hester was elected the first chairperson of Sarah Allen and served in this position for 13 years. The Sarah Allen Missionary Unit has responded to the challenge of helping those in need and actively participates in numerous outreach projects. The unit is currently led by Sister Willette Carter and has 33 members.

The Sarah Allen Missionary Unit has participated in sick and shut-in outreach and partnered with the following organizations: Urban Ministries, where members made sandwiches for homeless persons (pre-COVID-19); Taking It to the Streets, where no-sew blankets are made and distributed to the homeless; Angel Tree/Prison Ministry, which entails providing Christmas gifts to children whose parents are in prison; and Area Backpack and Education Projects, where school supplies are provided to disadvantaged children. Sarah Allen also supports through monetary and other donations, Share Your Thanksgiving; Boys and Girls Club of Durham and Orange Counties; Christmas Card Project, Holiday Project; and Share Your Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. The unit most recently coordinated voter registration events for the 2020 election.

The Truemilla Smith Unit of the Minnie S. Pearson Missionary Society was organized around 1981 under Reverend William W. Easley, Jr. and Mrs. Ora L. Easley. The purpose and goals of the unit are to fulfill the Women’s Missionary Society’s (WMS) mission of continuing the ministry of Jesus Christ through service and witness in the church and in our community involvements. Truemilla Smith is proud of its commitment to carrying out and participating in all of WMS programs and projects. We are especially proud of the opportunity to spearhead the Minnie S. Pearson Missionary Society’s annual Senior Luncheon for the last twelve years. The unit is currently led by Sister Phyllis Shumate and has 16 members.