BY TRISH MARSHALL, CONTRIBUTING WRITING
LAKE MARY – The spirit of James Melton Jr. was in the room Saturday, April 5, during a memorial scholarship breakfast held in his honor. Reflections, an inspiring message and shouts of thanksgiving during a musical selection saturated the atmosphere as more than 220 of his family members, Bokey Besties, classmates and community members gathered for the Fourth Annual James E. Melton, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Breakfast.
“It’s always good,” said Dr. Gena Henderson, one of members of the Bokey Besties of which Melton was a part of before his passing in 2021.
Dr. Henderson, along with the other Bokey Besties, Dr. Demetrius Eudell and Dr. Fran Close, Melton’s parents, James Melton Sr. and Eartha Melton and brother, Dr. Rene Edwin Akins, sponsored the scholarship breakfast, held at the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary hotel. If you knew Melton, educator and minister, you know there had to be laughter, hugs, picture-taking and tasty food!
There were also moments worth noting and sharing. First, organizers said it was a sold-out event that pushed them close to the amount they needed to endow the scholarship fund (The goal is just over $30,000). The purpose of the scholarship fund is to empower Seminole County students for years to come, provide scholarships and pre-college assessments. The Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools administers the scholarship fund.
Also, in his Words of Remembrance, Pastor Patrick Coats talked about Melton, his former member and business administrator at Kingdom Covenant Baptist Church in Miami and announced that his newly established publishing company would be releasing a devotional book Melton had written for the church. Pastor Coats said all the proceeds from the book will go to the scholarship fund.
“It doesn’t get any better than that,” said Dr. Henderson. “Now we can have a piece of him on our bookshelves. James wrote it and Pastor Coats edited it.”
The book, titled “Walking With God: A Deeper Relationship with God,” is a 14-day devotional journal.
Finally, the spiritual uplift provided by Sanford’s own Minister Marlowe Smith and Pastor Shawndric McGregor of Calvary Temple of Praise in Sanford, blessed the room.
Minister Smith rendered his own version of “Trust in God” (Elevation Worship) that stirred souls to stand and sing along: “I trust in God, My Savior. The one who will never fail. He will never fail…”
Pastor McGregor walked through Matthew 15, where it talks about a woman of Canaan who cried unto the Lord to help her daughter who was grievously vexed with a devil. What a great reminder for all of us to pray and pray right when the odds are against us. “We must have the right patience, the right perspective and the right persistence”, the pastor said.
Salute to the scholarship committee for bringing all the pieces together for a powerful and purposeful memorial scholarship breakfast to benefit the legacy of James Melton, Jr.
To learn more about the scholarship fund or to donate go to https//donate.onecause.com/james-e-melton-jr-memorial-scholarship-fund/donate.
