Keynote Speaker, Pastor Chauncy Douglas

Pastor Chauncy K. Douglas is no stranger to Wayne County or the state of North Carolina.  At the age of 11 she moved from Charlotte, North Carolina to Goldsboro with her aunt Ora Douglas.  From age 11 to age 16 Pastor Douglas was in enrolled in St. Mary’s Catholic School and Goldsboro High School. Singing often at both schools and as member of a local theatre guild, she performed in musicals throughout the county, and as a member of a modeling troupe, based in Raleigh, performed throughout the state North Carolina. 

 

Her radiant personality shows everywhere she goes and in 1974 the Goldsboro Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity requested that she represent them in a pageant, confident that she would win.  She took the title in the local Wayne County. And then moved on to win the North Carolina title which led to her success in being crowned Miss Black Teenage World, where she captured the audience and judges with her melodious speaking and singing voice. Additionally she won the talent completions in the aforementioned events,

 

At the age of 16, then Mayor Hal Plonk honored her by making June 21, 1974 Chauncy Douglas Day in Wayne County and installed her as an Honorary Board of Alderman. Thus making her the first young black female to receive such honors.

 

Pastor Douglas graduated from college and worked in various businesses prior to working for the IBM Corporation.  Among her many accomplishments, being too numerous to mention in this writing, she accepted an appointment to the 1996 Olympic Committee in Atlanta, Georgia. 

 

Twenty years later she returned to Goldsboro as if she had never left.  She and her aunt Ora Douglas, who by now had retired from the North Carolina school system, opened the high end consignment shop Second Time Around downtown, and then a year later opened another business, A Cup & Such Gourmet Coffee Shoppe, which was Goldsboro's first gourmet coffee shop. 

 

She was quite active in the community as a member of DGDC (Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation), Martin Luther King Day Committee, Ambassador Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, board member of the Boys and Girls Club, original member of BOPE, featured columnist in the first Up Magazine entitled "Checking with Chauncy" and Board of Advisors for Elizabeth City State University, Greenville, North Carolina.  She, Marco Talarico of Talarico's Restaurant and Pastor Anthony Witherspoon then pastor of St James AME Church, launched the first Feed and Teach program for the residents of the Lincoln Homes Housing Units. 

 

She has lived in many states and visited other countries spreading her love for others but most importantly her love for Jesus Christ. It is the desire of Pastor Douglas, that all who know her and those who will come to know her, that with all of her special recognitions, honors, education and work experiences that she has dedicated her life to teach and preach the love of Jesus Christ everywhere she goes, without compromise. 

 

Currently Pastor Douglas owns and operates A Cup & Such Gourmet Coffee Shoppe in Pennsylvania, teaches in the public school system where she is known affectionately as “Preacher Lady.”  Moreover, she is the founder and senior pastor of the Lighthouse of Love Ministries, Incorporated.

 

Lighthouse of Love Ministries is a Christ centered, spirit filled ministry who reaches out to those who are lost and void of hope with an abundance of love and compassion. Furthermore, the ministry is a multi cultural ministry that expands beyond the color, age and economic groups of the city. While her passion is for the hurting youth, it also encompasses men, women, boys and girls from every walk of life, age group, ethnic background and culture.

 

It was Pastor Douglas' leadership and the diligent community outreach efforts of the youth in the ministry and throughout the city that the mayor declared and a proclamation set forth that July 7, 2007 would be known as Lighthouse of Love Youth Day.