Rev. Jeff Stephens

Rev. Jeff Stephens, 53, of Pilot Mountain, NC traded his temporary earthly home for a perfect, beautiful eternity with Jesus on Sunday, September 5, 2021, at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center after a sudden unexpected severe illness. Jeff was born August 22, 1968, in Forsyth County, NC to Johnny and Brenda Stephens.  He was blessed to be raised in a Christian home, where hard work, forgiveness and long contemplative discussions after misbehavior and prior to the well-deserved spankings were valued greatly and implemented as often as necessary.  At the age of 18 Jeff made the most important decision of his life when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Working and studying in Greensboro had him traveling back and forth to Pilot Mountain on weekends, partly for the armful of freshly ironed shirts his mom had waiting, but mostly so he could have date nights with the hometown girl who caught his eye.  Becky would become Jeff’s “Blue Eyes” and Jeff became Becky’s “My Jeffery”.  Their love started at church.  Neither knew serving the church would become their life’s work.  Jeff married the love of his life on September 28, 1997. Jeff completed Basic Law Enforcement Training and was privileged to serve with multiple agencies.  His favorite law enforcement home was Stokes County Sheriff’s Department where he loved being a detective.   He loved protecting and serving, catching the bad guys and he loved his law enforcement family. Life happened, and, as only He can, God used every difficulty and challenge that Jeff and Becky faced together to mold and shape them into what the Lord needed them to be.  For Jeff, that meant crying out to God in response to his wife’s pain and hearing the voice of God say clearly, “Preach my Word”.  When Jeff stopped running from that call into the ministry, the Lord allowed him to serve in the one career he found more rewarding than law enforcement – a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a pastor. Jeff devoted himself to God’s church.  As the pastor of Enon Baptist church, his focus was to serve, speak truth, to win lost souls to Christ and to be His hands and feet ministering to His church.  Jeff always gave more of himself than was required, but he knew the cost of backing down was too great. When challenges presented, he stayed the course, with no apologies for following scripture, “God’s inerrant and infallible word” as he would remind his congregation every Sunday.  Jeff adored Becky and Sarah.  He lived for family time, martial arts training with Sarah and a cold Diet Pepsi after a long, hard day.  Jeff’s mom, Brenda, and seven unborn children made it to heaven before he did.  Left on this earth with work to do are his loving wife, Rebecca (Becky) Chilton Stephens;  his absolutely beautiful-in-every-way daughter, Sarah Faith, aka “Squirt”’; four legged shadow Opie;  father, Johnny F. Stephens; brother and partner in crime for half his life, Dr. Joel Stephens (Lisa) and their children Carson, Carrie, Cooper, and Cathryne Stephens; father and mother-in-law, Kenneth and Anne Chilton;  brother and sister-in-law Brian and Sharon Moser; brother and sister-in-law Tim and Mindy Chilton and their daughter, Maria. Becky and Sarah are receiving friends at her sister’s home:  329 Matthews Road, Pilot Mountain.  There will be a celebration of life and a time of fellowship and sharing at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, September 11, 2021, at Enon Baptist Church, 6321 Old US 421 E, East Bend 27018. Rather than flowers or other memorials, a fund has been established for Becky and Sarah at First Horizon Bank, Pilot Mountain.   Cash or checks can be mailed or sent to any First Horizon branch tagged for Rebecca Stephens, Donation Account.