Rev. Stefanie Minatee: Gifts from God: A New Life and a New Song BY JEAN NASH WELLS
I
f you are a gospel music fan, you have certainly heard the fantastic, soulful sounds of Grammy-award winning choir, Jubilation. Jubilation’s founder and artistic director, Rev. Stefanie Minatee or “Rev. Stef,” as she is affectionately known, has built her life and career around music. For nearly 30 years she taught students to love music and nurtured the passion of others. Rev. Stef also holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from Drew University Theological Seminary and is serving as an associate minister at Community Baptist Church of Engle-wood. She has authored and catalogued more than 100 songs and is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). The recipient of numerous awards including 2010 proclamations from Newark Mayor Cory Booker and the New Jersey State Assembly, she received the City of Newark’s coveted Medal of Honor and the Central Jersey Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority honored her as a Woman of Achievement. Her life was filled with music and ministry until April 9, 2015 when everything changed.
24
The Positive Community September 2020
Rev. Stef suffered a debilitating stroke. Paralyzed on her left side with loss of pe-ripheral vision of the left eye and unable to swallow, there was some cognitive impairment as well. But, Rev. Stef per-severed and the video titled It's All About You, currently featured on ThePositiveCommunityHub.com tells the personal story of her journey back. When asked how the video came about, Rev. Stef explained. “I decided to do the video because I wanted to let people see the power of God and what He can do when someone is de-termined to work their way back from what they have been through.” Recalling how she felt following the stroke, she said, “I really didn’t want to live. I thought God had left me. But through my support group, my faith in God, and Him taking me though this, I came to understand it wasn’t the end, I had to recover. I wanted people to actually see what God has done. And it was therapeutic for me to see where I have come from, where I am now, and where I have to go.‘It’s All AboutYou’ was the first song God gave me after the stroke.
www.thepositivecommunity.com
