Leading Lady
First Lady Shirlyne McCray Heard is a native of Jacksonville, Florida. She is one of three children born to Mr. & Mrs. Johnny and Maurice McCray of Jacksonville. Sister Heard matriculated through the Florida public school system and she is a graduate of Florida A & M University in Tallahassee, Florida—receiving a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems. Sister Heard accepted the Lord as a child and she was an active member of the Second Missionary Baptist Church of Jacksonville under the leadership of the late Pastor James Carl Sams and the current pastor, Dr. Odell Smith, Jr. Sister Heard was a member of the church band, choir, ushers ministry, youth ministry, young adult ministry and the outreach ministry.Leading Lady Heard is married to Dr. Howard E. Heard, Senior Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church. They have been married for 28 years and they are the very proud parents of two wonderful girls, Tesia and Elizabeth Heard. Together, she and Pastor Heard are the leaders of the Marriage Ministry. They believe in the covenant of marriage and they are very passionate about their responsibility to model a godly marriage and to encourage other couples to do likewise.
Leading Lady Heard has served as a missionary to the nations of Haiti and Kenya, Africa. She has been used of the Lord to speak words of hope and encouragement to women and youth both foreign and domestically. She is woman of God that has a Rhema word for the body of Christ for such a time as this.Sister Heard has been a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. for 30+ years, in which she believes in providing service to all mankind. She has been the bookstore manager for the Sunday School and Baptist Training Union for 10 years. She is Correspondence Secretary for the Women’s Auxiliary for the Virginia Baptist State Convention.
:Leading Lady Heard is a woman that truly loves the Lord and she lives her life to the glory of God. She is a virtuous woman that understands her role as a wife and as a mother and she loves fulfilling them. As a devoted mother, Sister Heard pours herself into her girls and she demands the best of them, and she does the same for any other child she encounters. Sister Heard believes strongly in educating our youth for eternity. She is a teacher at Hampton Christian Schools and her presence there has positively impacted many of the students for the Kingdom of Christ.
Leading Lady Heard is a woman that is madly in love with her husband. Together, they are committed to influencing the world for the cause of Christ one person and one family at a time.