Selma resident Adell Coleman knew she wanted to dedicate her life to Christ the moment she was baptized at Concord Church in Safford at 11-years-old.

Since then, Coleman, 94, has served as Sunday school teacher, choir member and church member of the same church that washed away her sins. While her time as a Sunday school teacher and choir member ended in 1996, Coleman is still a loyal church member.

“When you confess to Christ, I think you should stay with him,” Safford native Coleman said.

Coleman said it was her parents, former regular churchgoers of Concord Church, who taught her to develop a stable relationship with God.

Coleman recalled the time when people’s vocals served as the main instrument used to praise God, instead of the manmade instruments commonly used during Church service today. Coleman, who still sings today, described the feeling she gets singing gospel songs.

“If you really know the Lord and be with Him, honey, you really get filled up [with holy spirit],” Coleman said shortly after singing her favorite song The Angelic Gospel Singers’ “If You Can’t Help Me.” “You can’t help from crying.”

As an active Bible reader, Coleman said her favorite scripture is Psalms 23, which begins with the words, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want…” in the King James Version of the Bible.

She said it’s overwhelming feeling that she received from that scripture that made it stand out from the rest.

“Some scriptures, you know, just really touch you,” Coleman said.

Coleman, a mother of seven, has made sure to past her Christian values on to the generations that follow her, whether it be family, friends or a stranger.

Coleman said two of her children are deacons and all of them are church members.

“It’s always kept me in line,” Coleman’s daughter Olivia Ervin, 64, who resides with Coleman, said. “From my experience with Him, I have learned to trust Him and always obey.  And I brought my children up the same way.”

Jessica Dunagan, a 30-year-old granddaughter of Coleman and daughter of Ervin, said the spiritual messages she has received from her mother and grandmother has helped her get through challenging times in college, high school and life.

“It has gotten to the point now where my prayer might not be at 100 percent, but it’s strong,” Dunagan said. “And my relationship with God is strong.”

— The Dart is a weekly feature, running on Thursdays, where a random location in Selma or Dallas County is selected. Reporters then go to the location and find a story.