Recognizing Dr. Pamela D. Burke
From Wakanda, to Zamunda to Atlanta, we see the beautiful strength of Black women portrayed in every aspect of life. After recently watching “Coming 2 America'' starring Eddie Murphy and Wesley Snipe, we see that the daughters of King Akeem (Murphy) are skilled fighters and young intellects, something that mirrors the poise and strength of the Dora Milaje, the all women fighters who serve as the personal guard to the King of Wakanda. Even in Washington D.C. we witness the first woman Vice President who is also of Afro-Jamacian descent, Madam Vice President Kamala Harris. The path that Black women are paving is beyond golden, it is anointed with the tears, sweat and sacrifice of the Black women that came before them. With such, we at Let Us Live Magazine would like to spotlight an extraordinary Black woman during this Women’s History Month.
Born to the late J.B. Surles and Mandy Surles, Dr. Pamela Burke is an example of Black Women making great accomplishments, or as we say in Afro-english, Black Girl Magic.
In Columbus, Georgia, Dr. Pamela Burke often credits God and her mother with cultivating her to be the woman she is now.
She serves as the senior pastor and Presiding Apostle of Gifts of God Ministry and Perfecting
Gifts International Fellowship, where she operates and executes the vision and mission of spreading the gospel, caring for the broken hearted and downtrodden, and uplifting the suppressed. She also spiritually equips her congregants and empowers then to work to improve the community.
Although the journey to where she is now hasn’t always been easy, Dr. Burke has always remembered that God will never put more on her than she can bear. A devoted mother and wife, she is often seen in the community as a servant with the heart of God guiding her in every endeavour. She has been gifted with the ability to care for
people, even if it means making great sacrifices, from organizing and spearheading many community based projects and businesses that focus on caring for senior citizens as if they were her own family members through housing, food and even visits to local senior citizens retirement homes. She also is the visionary of the Gifts of God Homeless Outreach Ministry where she and her congregants feed and minister to the needs of the local homeless population in the Columbus, Ga area.
Going beyond just preaching in the pulpit, Dr. Burke believes that the gospel is meant to be lived and not just told. Her actions are the embodiment of the Bible and she tackles some of the hardest topics that most would not touch. That even includes the sensitive topic of money. With 30 plus years in the finance industry, Dr. Burke birthed ‘Good Steward,’ a program that is designed to educate people and empower them on the importance of finances and financial literacy. As she would say to both her congregation and strangers, stop wasting your money on things that bring no return,the evidence of her teaching can be found in the book that she co-authored titled, ‘Mindset Money Manifestation.’* This book is the manifestation of Dr. Burke’s goal, to see the people make mindset changes concerning their finances so that they can witness great manifestation.
Even with all of this, there is no stopping her. She also has a personal goal to uplift women; ’‘She Shall Be Praised,’ this ministry was birthed out of her own personal testimony of trials that she faced throughout her life. Knowing that there are women who go through many struggles such as abuse, neglect, being a single parent, and oftentimes dealing with mental,
emotional and financial instability, Dr. Burke created ‘She Shall Be Praised’ to serve as a support and empowerment ministry for women from all walks of life. Each year there are conferences and banquets in which women gather together to love, support and empower
each other. Overseeing the life changes that take place at ‘She Shall Be Praised,’ Dr. Burke strives to make the event and the ministry bigger than herself. Opening doors that were often closed to women, because of their gender, Dr. Burke and She Shall Be Praised breaks down the door and boldly declares that they are queens on a mission to empower and crown other queens.
This Women’s History Month and Melanin March (a continuation of Black History Month) we honor and pay tribute to this outstanding woman who continually changes the narrative of what a woman’s role is, and shows us that women can do anything that God has gifted them to do. Whether it is serving as a Pastor and Apostle in the church, when there are men that continually attack her character, or running a successful business as the CEO, Dr. Pamela Burke is Women’s History Month.
*To purchase a copy of "Mindset Money Manifestation," you may email Dr. Pamela Burke at giftsofgodmin@yahoo.com