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Judy Hill

  
     
  Judy Hill currently serves as the interim at Good Shepherd in Washington, KS. As you read, you will soon realize that she is involved in several areas of service.  
     
 

Women's Retreat

  
     
 

JudyRecently I worked with another PMA (Mary Lou Anderson) to do a Women's retreat for Peace Parish (Ada, Norway, Scandia, Belleville) based on the theme "The Bible Rocks". The retreat was held at a Bed and Breakfast place, Kansas Creek Inn, in rural Concordia. Betty, the owner, has a strong Christian background, and evidence of this is in the decor of the Inn as well as in the gardens of the yard.

 
     
 

As the theme of our retreat was "The Bible Rocks", many of our activities centered around stones and rocks. These included:

  • skipping stones and searching through the Bible passages that dealt with rocks, stones and gemstones,
  • making prayer rocks to give to others,
  • having Bible studies on Jesus being the Rock of our strength,
  • reminding ourselves that sticks and stones (gossip) can definitely break our bones (hurt),
  • making a breastplate of Aaron with gemstones,
  • and, having a scavenger hunt in the garden with Bible verse sites written on tin signs and hung throughout the yard. Each of wrote the Scripture down and a brief description of where it was found in the garden. When all were found, discussion began. The Scriptures were read and the location where they were found was shared. An example: The verse "I am the vine, you are the branches" was found in the grapevine. The significance of the verse and image for our lives were shared.
  
     
  The concluding activity was done as groups made posters using ten construction paper stones to share a message about something learned during the retreat. These were then displayed in the churches.  
     
  There was much singing of hymns connected to rocks along with quiet times and prayer stations based on the Lord's Prayer. One fun event was our traditional weiner roast over an open fire in the evening. This was followed with Smores!  
  ladies on retreat ladies on retreat ladies on retreat  
         
 

Food Bank

  
     
  Washington County has long had a food bank housed in one of the churches. All of the churches in the county contribute to its ongoing operation and upkeep through volunteers as well as donations of food and money. It was time to find a new location for it. We were looking for some space in a downtown building, building a new one, or purchasing a home on the market and making it into the food bank. During a meeting of the Washington County Ministerial Alliance, I asked what size of building was needed. Another person said "...about the size of that garage that the Lutherans have in the parking lot." Light bulbs went on!  
     
 

The Dry Bones of Ezekiel rose up and our congregation agreed to let the storage garage be turned into a food bank. The next Sunday, everyone came to church in their work clothes. Immediately after the service, many chipped in and cleaned out the garage. Our church and another group donated money and challenged others to join in so that the needed changes could be made to have the new food bank become a reality. It's working! A new floor is in place and volunteers will work on the storage and organizational needs.

  
     
  The bank will be named "Edith's House" in memory of Edith Dittmer who was in charge of the food bank for many years.. There will be a dedication this fall.  

 

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Central States Synod - ELCA Parish Ministry Associates
21 N. 12th Street, Suite 210, Kansas City, KS 66102
Phone: 913.948.9701 Fax: 913.948.9707 E-mail: pmat@csspma.org