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Jacki Surles has been a member of Emerald Isle Baptist since around 2012. Church had always been some part of her life to varying degrees. She was baptized at the age of 12, not through the pressure of her parents or other church members but simply through the call of the Holy Spirit. She recounts that she was terrified in that moment, but she felt that she was being pulled down the aisle by God. Following her profession of faith and baptism, she lamented the fact that there was no follow-up through discipleship. Her big question was, “What now?”

She attended church with her family sporadically, but it wasn’t until the death of her husband that she became serious about church attendance and involvement. A friend of hers had gone on an Emmaus Walk, a 72-hour spiritual retreat during which one does nothing for oneself. One is served so that he/she may concentrate on the person of Jesus. Jacki recalls that her friend seemed to be glowing with the light of Christ following that experience, and she thought, “I don’t know what happened to her, but I want it!” Jacki attended her own Emmaus Walk which led to further involvement in her previous church, even becoming a deacon. 

Since Jacki has been a member of EIBC, she has contributed much. She brought books for the church library upon its formation, served on the ministry council, taught Sunday school as a fill-in, and even formed our Sunday morning prayer team.

She attributes much of her church involvement to Grady and Betty Brown. She occasionally co-taught with Grady and also learned how to pray from him. She noticed that Grady would leave the worship service just before the sermon, and when she asked Betty where Grady was going, Betty told her that he was going to pray. Jacki joined in, and they alternated Sundays, praying for the church during the Sunday morning service. That led to the formation of the prayer team which prays in the pastor’s outer office every Sunday.

Jacki is no stranger to grief. After she lost her daughter to suicide, she joined with the Coastal Carolina Center for Women’s Ministry as soon as the doors opened and at the prompting of Betty Brown. While not trained professionals, they offer peer-to-peer counseling. Their motto is, “We have been where you are.” Jacki was a counselor for over ten years before retiring from that effort.

Jacki continues to attend church because she loves God and wants to be in His house. She comes regularly to Bible studies and Sunday school; biblical studies is very important to her. She enjoyed Freddie’s sermons and personability, and she is excited for the future as Pastor Zach continues to offer thoughtful, biblically-based sermons and quality one-on-one time with congregants. Though many of her friends have either passed away or moved on to other adventures, she still has friends in the church and enjoys spending time with them.

Jacki is a prolific writer. She manages her website, Christianity Compass, and produces an article twice a month. She recently wrote on the Apocrypha before treating the Christian Mystics, which will wrap up at the end of September. Her next theme will be the Old Testament Prophets with a focus on Isaiah for 2027. Chris Harker’s Women’s Bible Study is using Jacki’s material on the 12 Disciples for their study. She continues to disciple through her writing, ensuring that the faith of others can be deepened, something she missed out on as a young Christian. 

Prayer continues to be a major component of Jacki’s spiritual life as well as books. She has a love for J.I. Packer’s famous work, Knowing God, and also enjoys historical, Christian novels. Bodie and Brock Thoene’s The AD Chronicles series is at the top of the list.

I invite all of you to visit Jacki’s website, www.christianitycompass.com, and subscribe to her bi-monthly articles. If you are interested in joining the prayer team and/or further developing your own personal prayer life, she is the one to talk to.

Jacki is a valuable member of our church and a lovely light to all she encounters! We appreciate her very much!