WOW! Magazine
BY CANDIE A. PRICE
Candie A. Price: We are so pleased to be able to talk to you about your powerful testimony and harrowing experience, but first we’d like to know a little about your background. Where were you raised, and what was your upbringing like?
Lady Theresa Whitfield: It is a pleasure and an honor to be able to speak with you and to share the Great works of the Lord in our lives. I was born and raised in Jamaica Queens, NY with 9 siblings Mother and Step father. Growing up in Queens NY had it’s moments. For our family it seemed as if we had more bad days then good days. There was strict discipline. There was endless chores and unmerciful homework all of the time. The good times were moments of spending quality time with the family; birthdays, family trips, church nights and singing in the youth choir, which was my family. The Stephens family (maiden name) is what we were known as, when you see one you can best believe the rest is sure to follow. I can recall most of our time as children in our local community church. I can honestly say if it had not been for Carter Community AME church I do not know where we would be today. Growing up I can remember admiring so many of our youth leaders and desiring to be one someday. At this appointed time in my life my husband Pastor Whitfield has appointed me as Director of the Youth Ministry within Trinity Baptist Church, were I am assisting my husband with restructuring the Youth Ministry in the church by teaching and instilling purpose within the Youth Ministry.
CAP: Part of your story involves the fact that you are a pastor’s wife, tell us a little about your husband’s ministry, how long the two of you have been married and in full-time ministry?
LTW: Yes, I am a Pastor’s wife approaching 5 yrs of Holy matrimony. What I love about my marriage is that my husband allows me to be me in church and out of church. I am always proud and amazed at my husband’s leadership and the work that he is doing at TBC. Pastor Whitfield is the Senior Pastor of TBC where he has labored for 16 years. He also pastored the United Baptist Church of Okinawa, Japan, for 2 years while serving in the United States Air Force. Pastor Whitfield strives to do his best for the Lord by providing the Word of God to his people and by encouraging the Body of Christ. The ministry of the church can be seen by going to the website: trinitybch.org
CAP: For those that don’t know your story, you were attacked in the bathroom of your church by a member. Could you give us a little detail about the attack, your relationship, if any, to your attacker and what, if anything, may have precipitated the attack?
LTW: Lady Price I am always taken back with all of the emotions that come with sharing the details of the attack that happened to me on July 22nd 2007. I can tell you this, it is nothing but God’s strength which carries me through every testimony, and every interview. For on that Sunday morning Worship it could only had been my God to save me from such an ordeal. I remember clearly saying when I was released from the Hospital that this must be told and told my way. On that Sunday morning 11 am service I entered the basement bathroom to attend to my 18-month old daughter at the time. I said ‘Good Morning’ to her, but I noticed she didn’t speak back. I knew Yolanda Cooper for she was member at our church for over 18 months. She sat next to me in church. She was my neighbor. She had eczema, just like my baby, and she used to kiss her hand in church. On July 22nd 2007 several parishioners said they noticed her leaving the sanctuary when I walked out to attend to my baby. They thought it was just a coincidence.
Yolanda Cooper my attacker went in and out of the stall next to me. Then, without warning, she came out of the stall, grabbed my hair from behind, turned me around to face the mirror and started to cut my throat with a box cutter. She continued slashing me in the face, neck and chest. I first desired to pray for her and with her to find out was wrong, but then I realized she was not going to stop with the attack so I then started to defend myself by raising my hands to stop her from doing more damage towards my face, but the box-cutter wielding parishioner wouldn’t stop. There were no words between us during the struggle. There was a teenage girl (15 years old) who witnessed the first scene of the attack. She ran out of the bathroom screaming for help and closed the door. I call this young lady my “disobedient child’ for she should have been in service with the other youth, but she was in the ladies’ room reading a book. This still, to this day, amazes me of how God used her in that time. The teenage girl went to get her mother for help she arrived quickly as I laid against the door of the bathroom while Yolanda Cooper continued attacking me. At that time I had slipped and fallen in my own blood. My all-white linen dress was soaked in blood, Parishioners heard the commotion coming from the basement as Gospel music filled the sanctuary. “STOP!,” said the teen’s mother who was the first to arrive at the scene. “Only the whites of Cooper’s eyes were showing,” is what I was told within my time of recovery, desiring greatly to recall what happened and how it happened. At the command to STOP, the black part of her eyeballs came back. Then she ran away. Parishioners used cell phones to call for help and one brave worshiper followed Yolanda Cooper to point her out to police. She was charged with attempted murder and held on bail for $1.1 million dollars. During the attack, I prayed that the Lord would keep my baby safe from the attacker. I had endured many slashes on her hands and arms. The left hand lay open like a flower. I was rushed to Hackensack Medical Center, where I underwent emergency surgery and received over 2,000 stitches to close up all my wounds. Police have no motive for the attack. However, we discovered later that the assailant had attacked four others, similarly, in the past. She had been institutionalized and released months before my attack.
Yolanda Cooper had been attending the church for many months before the unprovoked attack. We persuaded considering legal actions against the institution responsible for releasing Cooper out into the public. But the case was dismissed. The medication that was prescribed to me, from what I understand, is the same type of medication my attacker was in need of when she attacked me. We now realize that there is a great work needed to get people like Yolanda Cooper the help they so greatly need. I have been identified as the “victim” in this attack, but if the truth be told, Yolanda Cooper was the victim and all of the people who have been diagnosed with a mental illness and are not provided the proper care needed in order to assist them to have comfort in life as they live from day to day. Two weeks before the attack, we found out later, Yolanda Cooper had been incarcerated for not appearing in court for prior charges. She was found by the judge as coherent and within her right frame of mind to be released and to independantly attend an outpatient care facility, where she was required to attend daily. We were very concerned to find out later Yolanda Cooper was released without any money, for she was found by one of our members begging on the street the night before the attack; she was in need of food and her medication. I can only imagine that she never went to the facility as she was instructed by the Judge, which is what triggered her to make her way to the church. Yolanda Cooper had gone almost two weeks without her medication, which is the main requirement to maintain her illness, along with therapy and the support of family and friends, are all important parts of a person’s Schizophrenia treatment plan, which from what we understand she was in desperate need of at the time.
In addition, Pastor and I are pushing the issue of church security within the Christian community. I have forgiven Yolanda Cooper. I have to, for I need God to forgive me for the things I have done and for the things only he knows that I am going to do throughout my life journey. Without Christ, forgiveness would be nearly impossible after such a horrendous, unprovoked and undeserved attack but with Christ I can do All things, even forgive. By God’s grace and mercy, I am still here. Still teaching and still singing to the Glory of God. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for God is forever with me.” (Psalms 23:4) When all is said and done, God will receive all the Glory. Colossians 3:23-21
CAP: How have you been able to recover from such a horrible event and what would you say has been the driving force behind your ability to work through it?
LTW: I have been able to recover completely in whole healing mind, body, soul and Spirit because of the God we serve and the one who loves me and also by having a family that loves and believes in the God in me. We have a strong support family in my house. When unpredicted situations comes in either of our lives, we are quick to remind each other of the Great God that we serve and that we so strongly boast about within our home church and to all that will listen. I am recalling the song for Haiti which states “Is there anybody out there listening is there anyone who knows my name. “ This world has no mercy and we are reminded everyday that time waits for no man. You have to get up and try with all your strength to stay up. I am encouraged everyday in the song “Be not dismay whatever be tide, God will take care of you, nothing you need will be denied God will take care of you.”
CAP: Has this situation changed your perspective on ministry and wanting to continue to be involved in ministry or has it catapulted your passion for ministry? How and why?
LTW: I am going to be honest with you Lady Price, I did try to take on that Spirit of whoa is me, and listen to what was being said about Pastor and myself of why God would allow such a horrible thing to happen to what we would call ourselves loving and admirable people. But I couldn’t do it. I could not let the enemy win. For the bible assures us that when the enemy comes in like a flood God will raise up a standard against him. I needed to remind myself of what I pray to God daily and that is for him to have his way with my life. If I am going to do the work of the Lord than first I must prove myself to myself that I have what it takes, when the fiery winds blow and when the world tries to hit you with it’s best shot. Celebrate for it ain’t over until God say’s it’s over, he gets the last say.
CAP: Of all the stories I’ve heard from other pastor’s wives, or experienced myself as a pastor’s wife, yours is the most frightening. What good do you think has come out of your situation or what have you learned that could help someone else?
LTW: That is not the first time I have heard this comment. And I beg to differ. I think what is horrifying of this incident in my life is the position that we hold and where the attack happened. My husband encourages me by bringing into focus of all of the attacks that has happened within the churches across the nation since my attack, and all of the victims that were sought after is no longer with us. He said “Baby” God saved you for a reason. From this situation it has really brought to my attention that the work we have been called to do is a serious work. Souls are thirsty for the living bread. They are coming to the well and leaving still thirsty. Souls are coming to the church with real life situations and they need real answers. They need us to exemplify to them a real powerful, working, relevant moving God for their real and powerful situations. I want to encourage each person who is reading this article no matter what you are going through, no matter what the world tells you or shows you, be assured that God knows, and not only does he know but he cares, and not just about your situation but about you.
CAP: As you look over your life, what is the one thing that you regret?
LTW: Lady Price I have no regrets. I truly believe that God is the Author and finisher of my faith. And what he has for me it is for me.
CAP: You have written a book about your story, please give our readers information on the book and where to purchase it so that they can read your story in detail for themselves.
LTW: The book “Celebrate Your Scars” is to be released this November,2010. In the new book, we are praising and giving God the Glory. We are bearing testimony to the mysterious but blessed ways of the Lord! We ask the question are you bold enough to stand with Christ to battle the scars of the world. Join us our quest for safety and security within the sanctuary. You can get your copy in advance with downloading a preorder form from my myspace account @ www.myspace.com/theresawhitfield. Or you can contact t Welstar Publications @ www.welstarpublications.com Telephone # (718) 453-6557
©Candie A. Price, First Lady: The Real Truth profiles feature first ladies who have proven to be assets to their husbands, influenes on theri children and/or family and mentors to other women. To be considered for a FLRT profile, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . FLRT™ is a trademark of The Candie Jar, LLC.
 Candie Price | |
| About the author: | |
| Candie A. Price is a native of Philadelphia, PA. Candie graduated magna cum laude and with University Honors from the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies, specializing in Public Relations with a Sociology minor. | |
| Read More >> | |
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© 2010-2011 WOW! Magazine/Candie A. Price/FLRT
WOW! Magazine, Inspire,Encourage,Empower,WOWderful Woman and
WOW'd by Him are trademarks of The Candie Jar, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
© 2010-2011 WOW! Magazine/Candie A. Price/FLRT
WOW! Magazine, Inspire,Encourage,Empower,WOWderful Woman and
WOW'd by Him are trademarks of The Candie Jar, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
