Local reverend turns 100 on Sunday

By JUSTIN DENNIS

jdennis@vindy.com

GIRARD

The Rev. Flonerra Henry-Harris looked like royalty in her bright-pink dress, pearls and glistening tiara.

To her daughters, Ina Madison and Brenda Spencer, she’s the “queen mother” of five generations – mother of three; grandmother of eight; great-grandmother of 18 and a great-great-grandmother of four.

“For a long time she would not tell us her age. ... Her response was, ‘That’s between me and God,’” said Ike Henry, her oldest grandson, to laughs from friends, family and church brothers and sisters that packed the Mahoning Country Club on Friday, in honor of the matriarch’s 100th birthday, which is Sunday.

“I feel it’s a blessing. I got a real lovely, good family and all my friends – all of them just love me. They don’t just do that here … every day of the week. It ain’t no outside show,” she teased.

Henry-Harris was born in Columbus, Miss., in 1919, the youngest of 11 children. She knew one day she’d minister far from that state and her “Christian journey” started at just 8 years old, when a Providence Missionary Baptist raised her in baptism from a creek, her daughters said.

In October 1942, Henry-Harris, then 23, and husband Walter Henry moved to Youngstown for mill and construction work, and to be near relatives. Her son, the late A. Alexander Henry, was just 6 weeks old.

After her husband died in 1976, Henry-Harris began preparing herself for the ministry. She also re-married, to Porter Harris, in 1984.

Henry-Harris was ordained in 1995, alongside the Rev. Lewis Macklin, and began serving New Bethel Baptist Church on Youngstown’s South Side.

Even after relocating to Akron, Henry-Harris remained an active member of the church for 76 years – serving in missionary societies, Sunday school and as a deaconess, and still works as a senior ministry liaison – making her the 95-year-old church’s oldest tenured member.

“The Lord has left her here and he left her for a reason because she has been a blessing to our church and our family,” said Florence Simon, wife of the late Rev. Lonnie A. Simon, who ordained Henry-Harris.

Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, also in attendance Friday, said he grew up in Henry-Harris’ North Side neighborhood.

“When the street lights came on, I remember you had to run to get home,” he said to Henry-Harris. “I remember those days growing up and it was people like you who made sure there was a word of encouragement. … I remember growing up, not realizing how much you poured into my life.

“If there was a kid in the neighborhood that didn’t have a church home, you would gather up the kids in the neighborhood and take them to church with you,” Brown continued.

“I know it’s the same God you’ve been serving all these years.”

He issued a proclamation in Henry-Harris’ honor and awarded her the key to the city.

Henry-Harris used to travel by horse-and-buggy or rail, Madison said. Her family owned a Ford Model T, the country’s first mass-produced automobile.

Decades later, she witnessed the segregation era, and further on, at 89 years old, cast her ballot for the country’s first black president – the “greatest” historical change Henry-Harris saw in her lifetime, Madison said.

But she said her mother is “disturbed” by the deterioration of the modern family.

“Having my mother in my life has been my grounding, my foundation,” Madison said. “Without her, I would not have been able to raise my children as well because I worked a lot. She was always there. She has never missed any of their birthdays. She’s very involved.”

When asked about her secret to longevity, Henry-Harris leaned in and answered quickly, without hesitation.

“I give God the praises – morning, night and day,” Henry-Harris said with a smile.

“He just gives me life. As long as I obey, I have life for a long time.”