Rev. Mary Elizabeth Johnson

 Seasons of Life

The Rev. Mary Elizabeth Johnson, also known as Elizabeth, was born November 1, 1943, in Philadelphia, PA. She was raised in the loving home of her parents, the late Jessie Mae Smallwood Wright and Thomas Wright, with her siblings Bessie, Carrie, Florence and Irene, along with a host of other children cared for by her mother.

Elizabeth attended Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church with her family. Her faith was nurtured at “Big Wesley,” and she learned to love and revere the Lord. She accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior at twelve years old and participated in various youth activities. This was the foundation of her lifelong, active membership in the A.M.E. Zion Church.

Elizabeth was educated in Philadelphia public schools and graduated from South Philadelphia High School in 1961. “Betty,” as they called her in high school, worked as a librarian’s aid, participated in the athletic association, sang in the acapella choir, and won many awards for her captivating public speaking and oratory skills.

After high school, she entered Bluefield State College in Bluefield, WV. She enjoyed being picked up and dropped off by the patriarchs of Wesley but preferred to be closer to home. She returned north to work and started a family.

Elizabeth relocated to Wilmington, DE, and joined Scott A.M.E. Zion Church, where she was baptized as a young adult. While living in Wilmington, she met and married Kenneth Johnson. The Johnson family soon expanded with a son, Kenneth Jr., and then a daughter, Jessica. Elizabeth created a home where love and instruction were ever-present. She raised her children to understand Proverbs 20:11 “It is by their deeds that a child distinguishes themselves, if their conduct is pure and right.”

Elizabeth began a career as a teacher and court appointed advocate. She was employed by the State of Delaware Family Court and the School District of Philadelphia. However, she did not allow work and family to prevent her from accomplishing her educational goals. She enrolled in the nation’s oldest HBCU and was a successful student, making the dean’s list and being inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society. She graduated from Cheyney with a Bachelor of Science in Education and continued to be a lifelong learner. She pursued post-graduate classes and formal religious education through various schools and institutions.

In 1985, Mary Elizabeth returned to her home church (Big Wesley), accepted her call to Christian ministry, and preached her trial sermon. She was licensed to preach and, after completing the requisite studies, was ordained a deacon in 1989. She was ordained to the office of elder in 1993 and served as a Conference Evangelist until her appointment to the pastoral charge of Ernest Robinson A.M.E. Zion Church (later First A.M.E. Zion Church, Chester, PA).

In addition to being an educator and evangelist, Rev. Johnson was also an entrepreneur. She started “Welcome to My World Daycare,” a full-service child development and family service establishment. She cared for multiple generations within the same family and provided many wrap-around services for her children and their families including food, clothing, comfort, counsel, and transportation. She even provided short-term custodial care (three to five days) for parents who could not find alternative daycare when her childcare center was closed. For this reason, it was not unusual for Rev. Johnson to take children with her to the district and annual conferences of her church. “Ms. Johnson,” or “Aunt Mary,” as her clients called her, nurtured the body, soul, spirit, and mind of those who entered her doors. She almost always accepted children into her program even if that meant low-cost or no-cost arrangements.

Rev. Mary Elizabeth Johnson organized a mission in her home where she held Bible study and ministered to families in her community, clients from the daycare, and those she met during life’s daily experiences. The mission became First Born A.M.E. Zion Church of Wilmington, DE.

Following her pastoral ministry, Rev. Mary Johnson continued as a Conference Evangelist assisting pastors and serving churches within the Conference including Scott A.M.E. Zion Church (with the late Rev. Dr. Recie Springfield, Jr., and Rev. Dr. G. M. Snipes) and Union A.M.E. Zion Church (during the tenures of Dr. Springfield, Rev. Vincent Meekins, and Rev. Leo McNeil). In 2009, Rev. Johnson transferred her membership back to the local congregation of her youth to assist with the ministry at Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church. She served as a class leader, Sunday school teacher, prayer warrior, and Christian Education board member. Rev. Johnson was a faithful, strong, and supportive “second chair.”

Rev. Johnson was a devoted and beloved member of the Philadelphia-Baltimore Conference- Board of Examiners/Conference Studies for more than fifteen consecutive years and a member of the Board of District Studies for the Philadelphia-Eastern Shore and Philadelphia Districts. Rev. Johnson poured herself into her administrative and instructional responsibilities while encouraging, exhorting, and equipping new and developing preachers for the work of ministry.

Rev. Mary E. Johnson enjoyed dramas, plays, and mystery theater. She liked traveling and loved spending time in fellowship with different people. She received several awards,commendations and recognition for her work in the different spheres of her life. She was a consummate caregiver who, up until her transition, was enjoying a “new career” as a home caregiver to the elderly and infirm. She loved composing and reciting poetry and even produced a compilation of her own poems entitled “I’m Walking in My Season.”

Rev. Mary Elizabeth Johnson experienced the changing seasons of life…spring, summer, fall, and winter. Before sunrise, on Thursday, January 4th, 2024, she entered a new season…DUE SEASON, where she now reaps the rewards of eternal life in the presence of her loving Savior.

Rev. Mary Elizabeth Johnson was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas and Jessie Wright. She is survived by her only son Kenneth, her daughter Jessica, her grandson Kenneth Nehemiah, sisters Bessie, Carrie, Florence and Irene; and her beloved cat Mikey.

In addition, she will be missed by several people she held close to her heart: Julia Calloway, Amy James, Michael and Ravelle King, Eliza B. and “Ty” Perkins, Barbara Wright, the Wesley Church family, her “forever” district studies students, and other associates, colleagues and friends too numerous to name.