A New Day of Grace: Joyce Elliott saw her faith tested before becoming the first female minister at Illinois’ oldest African-American church
The bullet hole in her bedroom door has been there more than 40 years, a reminder of where Joyce Elliott has been and how far she has come. She hasn’t picked up a gun since that late August evening when she loaded three shells into her husband’s shotgun and waited for him on a church bench in the garage, believing he deserved to die. While she was home sick in bed, and their three young children were sleeping, Linwood Elliott left home, leaving the front door wide open. Joyce decided that was the last time anybody was going to make her feel vulnerable.
