Page 2 - Pleasant Hill News Letter April 2025

PHBC FEATURED MEMBER
By Beverly Parker
DEACON WALTER LEE BROOKS, SR.
Psalms 90:10 says, “The days of our years are three-score years and ten ... “or 70 years of life. Recently, Deacon Walter Lee Brooks, Sr. lived to see that this Bible scripture reigns true because he is blessed to be granted more than 70 years, as he recently celebrated his 90th birthday! He is a man who is proud of his age and thanks God every day for giving him many fruitful years. He said, “I prayed for longevity and God has given me that.” He was excited about his 90th birthday celebration, which was held at the Consortium Venue on December 21, 2024. He joyfully said, “There were over 100 attendees, the weather was perfect, my relatives came from far and near, and everything was just wonderful!”
Deacon Brooks was born in Frierson, Louisiana, to the late Clayton and Lula Mae Smith Brooks. He is the eldest of five children who thrived successfully under the watchful eye of their parents, who filled them with a strong Christian foundation. The entire family attended services at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Kingston, Louisiana, their family church, where his father served as a deacon. He was not
baptized until age 21 at Mt. Moriah. When asked with such a strong Christian upbringing, why did it take him so long to get baptized, he said, “There were several reasons. Mt. Moriah didn’t have services every week, so my family and I attended other churches in the area when we weren’t at Mt. Moriah. I was young, working all of the time, and it didn’t register with me as it should have to move forth with getting baptized earlier. I attended public school in DeSoto Parish, and after school, I cut pulpwood and did other seasonal work such as picking cotton, cultivating soil, and caring for animals. Although I took the time to go to church, I guess with being so busy, plus not being at Mt. Moriah consistently, I just put off making the commitment, but getting baptized was the best thing I could have done for my life, regardless of how late I made the decision. It made me stronger in my Christian life and it strengthened my life to this day. When I don’t go to church, I feel like I’ve missed something.”
Deacon Brooks possesses a strong work ethic, which started when he worked in construction. He said, “I began helping carpenters with their work and became a journeyman carpenter, which enabled me to learn the trade in carpentry.” He said, “I later developed an interest in lawn care, and in 1981, I became self-employed and continued to work in that field for over 60 years. I enjoyed lawn work to the fullest. I had contracts with apartment buildings and individual customers as well. I made money to purchase the best equipment, and although I had a few workers, I did most of the work myself.” He had to give up his love of lawn work and the clients he served, when at the start of the 2020 COVID pandemic, he accidently fell and hurt his back. That led to the ill-fated decision for him to retire prematurely.
In 1963, Deacon Brooks moved to Shreveport but continued to attend Mt. Moriah; however, he united with Pleasant Hill in 1995. He said, “I made the decision to join because I lived close to the church, and more importantly, I was impressed with the church services and the fellowship I experienced among the members.” He was originally ordained as a deacon at Mt. Moriah in 1987, and was accepted on the PHBC deacon board in 1996. As someone who loves working with church activities, he enthusiastically mentioned that he and his wife, Sis. Girlesta Brooks, who is also an active member of Pleasant Hill as well, co-chaired “Friends and Family Day” for 24 consecutive years until 2011. Aside from serving on the deacon board, he was a member of the Voices on the Hill Chorus, and a member of the male chorus where he twice served as president. Deacon Brooks was assigned as overseer of the Annual Prayer Vigil and Convalescent Ministries.
His past interests were fishing, traveling, and lawn and garden maintenance, but now he enjoys watching sports, reading the Bible and his Sunday School lessons. For the past 31 years, he has been married to Sis. Girlesta Brooks. His children are Gwendolyn Brooks, Frederick L. Brooks, Walter L. Brooks, Jr. (deceased), the Rev. David C. Brooks, Levert D. Brooks, and Darien Brooks. He enjoys a great relationship with step-children, Veronica Miniex, Pamela A. Marshall, Robert W. Ashley, Evelyn Pratt, and Lasonia E. Ashley. He is the elder brother of Deacon Louis C. Brooks, Sr., who is also a member of Pleasant Hill.
Deacon Brooks enjoys church worship. He said, “I’ve never had a cross word from anyone, and when I joined, the members rolled out the red carpet for me. I’ll always appreciate that Rev. David Lamar, the pastor at the time, for giving my son, David, who pastored a church in Las Vegas and was in town visiting, the opportunity to preach the sermon on the same day that I joined Pleasant Hill.” Deacon Brooks said he loves Pastor Reginald Reid and his family because when he came to our church, he came with a vision and a dream that fits our motto. He has grown our membership and implements training and activities that enhance our overall Christian growth. We’ve put our arms around him and support his efforts.
Deacon Brooks’ philosophy is, “Live life to the fullest.” His favorite scriptures are Psalms 23:1-6, Psalms 118:1-29, and John 3:16. Deacon Brooks said what he truly wants is to always treat everyone right and to have love for everyone because God loves him. When asked what he is most proud of, he said simply, “I am proud of my life.” When he expressed so much joy over having lived for 90 blessed years, yes, one can believe that he is very proud of his life. We pray that God will grant him with many more happy and blessed years to come!
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