Editor: I want to thank Hinesville and surrounding communities, along with Liberty and surrounding counties for supporting our prayer vigil. With word of mouth, the Coastal Courier and social media we were able to put together the event on a whim and in less than 20 hours, the streets of our old Rebecca Street neighborhood were flooded with a few hundred supporters.
First I want to thank God. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son Our Lord, and I thank him for his grace and mercy. I received a call from people wanting to know the agenda and I told them that the plan was to have people show up and let God handle the rest and he did. I want to thank the list of ministers that I have in my rolodex for helping with prayer and devotion and in particular I want to thank retired Elder Henry Frasier Sr. Whenever I call the Rev. Frasier he answers, stops what he’s doing and does his best to be by my side. I will always love him for that. Thanks to BOE member Carolyn Carter for making Rebecca’s Place, My Place. I love Rebecca Street and I love my sister Carolyn too.
Special thanks to Lewis Levine of the Coastal Courier and Captain Slater and the Hinesville Police Department.
The Strickland and Taylor families did not ask us for this, I asked them to let us do this vigil/fundraiser and we did.
Death in inevitable and something that we all must face at one time or another, but the death of three family members in a tragic house fire is something more, and it touched us differently. So we moved and I believe it will help the community heal a lot quicker. I’ve known this family all my life, having grown up around the corner from them. I’ve attended church with them, worked with them, went to school with them, I love them, and even now I still grieve with them.
Again, thanks to my family and friends for supporting my family and friends.
May God bless you all,
Gilliard represents District 5 on the Liberty County Commission. Funds are still being raised for the Strickland family. If you want to help, call Gilliard at 912-977-3527.