By KARAN MINNIS, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter, karan@nasguard.com

Women as we all know, are blessed with many gifts. The gift of healing, the gift of nurturing and the gift of giving love. Then there are those women who are mothers who are also blessed with the gift of ministry. Women like Pastor Adline Jones of New Beginnings Prayer Ministry, Patton St., Palmdale who runs her own church.

"We all know Whitney Houston's song. The one about being every woman we can be and we all know that many women try to do just that but in reality many women find it hard to balance their lives as a wife, mother, and church member/leader. However, doing that was a part of God's will, but then again my children were all grown up by the time I got my own church," says the religious leader and mother of three daughters.

A widow, Jones has been in charge of her own church since 1993, an achievement she's humble about, and which has a dedicated following that Jones herself didn't expect.

"I believe that you must learn from your experiences and my experiences in ministry have taught me not to expect people to be very dedicated, and because I am no newcomer to ministry I should know," says the mother of Minster Pamela Bowe, Kenria Edwards and Evangelist Rhonda Hanna.

Jones herself has been a loyal church-going young woman since the age of 16. At age 19 she was teaching Sunday School, moving around from "the bottom of the church to leadership".

After working with several church's in administration and ministry she says she found that those in authority were not who she expected them to be. At the same time she says she had God telling her that if she had listened to Him and went into ministry for herself from the start she would not have felt the way she did.

"But I was still like Abraham holding on to what I knew."

Adding that she has lead and worked with many other pastors over the years, Jones says that it was all the same where ever she went in that all the pastors went through many struggles with their followers.

"I really didn't envy them, so I didn't want to be in their place. But God had other plans. He was persistent and here I am."

She says, it took her a while to get over her fears.

"I think being afraid is normal, especially after I had found people — especially church people, to be so unaccountable and not very dedicated," she says. "I didn't want to have to deal with that. However, it came to a point where I had to, because even if you didn't want the role sometimes God has different plans."

Despite her internal issues Jones still believes that becoming a pastor is really a divine calling.

"I will be the first to admit that this was not something I wanted. Even though I really didn't want to do it, I don't think anyone can run from God forever. As a matter of fact after all the experiences, I had with other people in ministry I'm sure I had good reasons, but it was a divine calling and the Lord just wouldn't leave me alone."

Adding that today she has been fortunate enough not to have those problems, as her people are properly trained, Jones says that the members of her church are quite dedicated to the Lord and to their ministries.

Even though she loves her life and her kids, Jones says if she could do it all over she would not have gotten married.

"I would have dedicated myself to the Lord in this way a long time ago. Meaning that I would not have gotten married. Therefore, I would not have had kids. I feel that serving the Lord is my calling that was what I was put on this earth to do, and when you're married you have to serve and take care of your husband so I didn't have time like I do now. That's what I would have done differently.

"But today my children are all highly involved in my church and in my ministry, so I'm fortunate in that light. I have a wonderful family that supports my choices and my path, and I know few people who can honestly say that. But I know that I'm truly blessed."