MOULTRIE — Union Baptist Church will celebrate its Mission Anniversary Sunday, April 27, at 3 p.m. Music will be provided by the Mt. Olive Baptist Church Choir of Sale City and the speaker is the Rev. Shirley A. Strawter.
Strawter began preaching in 1987 at various Women’s Day programs and conferences. She served as an usher for more than 40 years at Solomon Chapel A.M.E. in Ty Ty, Ga. She has been active in the A.M.E. church since childhood.
In 2001, she became ordained as an itinerant deacon and in 2003, she was ordained as an itinerant elder.
In 2002, she became the pastor of Miller’s Chapel A.M.E. Church in Sumner, Ga., and is now the pastor of Bethel A.M.E. Church in Alapaha, Ga.
An author and poet, Strawter has written numerous Christian poems and stories. She has compiled and written several collection of poems including, “Gathering Leaves,” “Seasoned with Grace,” and “Hands and Hearts for Him.” She has also composed a series of short stories including, “My Plate is Full, But Thank God for the Platter!,” “I Thought I Needed A Miracle, But I Only Needed God” and “The Brick Collector.”
She is a 1978 graduate of Talladega College in Talladega, Ala., and is presently employed with Len Lastinger Primary School in Tifton, Ga., as a physical education teacher. She has been there for 28 years and has been nominated Teacher of the Year twice by her peers, Teacher of Excellence, and Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year.
She is a member of the Ty Ty City Council and a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
She is the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. O.Z. Strawter and has three siblings, Bill J. Strawter of Midland, Mich., Deborah J. Strawter of Ty Ty, and Ronnie J. Strawter of Tifton. She is the mother of a daughter, Tori G. Strawter.

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