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by Linda McElroy
On a late Monday afternoon, I was in the intake office getting things ready for the patients. L.C. Thomas, chairman of the Good Shepherd Clinic Board and a volunteer at the Clinic, came into the office. We started talking about how much we loved being a part of this wonderful ministry. L. C. proceeded to tell me how much he appreciated what our church did for the clinic. He continued by saying that the Clinic could not function with the success it does without all the support our church gives. It started me thinking about how much our members contribute to the Good Shepherd Clinic. I have written about the patients, what the Clinic means to me, what we do there, and the Clinic’s needs, but I have never written about the various ways our church helps. Many of you are probably unaware of all the help this church gives. That is what this article is about. Of course, without Dr. Thom Kelley and a few others having a dream and pursuing that dream, there would probably not be a Clinic. Since he was a member of our church, we naturally became involved.
Let me move beyond those first three or four years to the last four years during which our church’s participation has grown significantly. The rest of this article will show just how involved we are with this ministry.
- Eloise Belle Isle is a Board member and is in charge of making sure the volunteers have food on Monday nights. This is no easy task, since she has to contact other involved churches to make sure they know when it is their turn. She also volunteers in other ways.
- Our newest Board member is Alan Bergmann who serves on the Technology and Facilities Committee.
- Our volunteers who work on Mondays and Wednesdays are Betty Bush, Barbara Rhinehart and Linda McElroy. We do the intake for the patients, which allows us to get to know them on a more personal level. We also do work such as answer the phone, check patients out, make appointments and locate files after all patients have been seen by a doctor.
- Ruby White comes every Wednesday to pick up prayer requests of the patients and makes sure the requests are in the narthex of the church. These requests are then taken by members of the church who pray specifically for that person. The one who brings the requests and those who pray are very important to this ministry.
- Bob Stevens is always willing to come on short notice, to troubleshoot any problem that arises with the computers.
- Several times, the men of the church have served hot dogs and drinks to the patients and volunteers. On the last Monday before the Clinic closed for Christmas holidays, they brought hot chocolate and cookies for the patients.
- The women of the church help provide food for the volunteers on Monday nights when it is our church’s turn. They also help with the annual tomato sandwich fund-raiser by providing cookies and helping serve. This year the event drew a re-cord crowd and raised over fifty thousand dollars. Many of you support the Clinic by attending this fund-raiser each August.
- The Outreach Committee makes a donation to the clinic twice a year as well as helps provide food on Monday nights. They also organized and helped give the clinic a spring cleaning.
- There are many who make donations of money, aspirin, empty medicine bottles, and office supplies for the clinic.
- The Church at Prayer group which meets every Tuesday at the church, prays for the clinic and also donates money to help buy needed supplies for the clinic.
- The Alpha Sunday School class has taken the lead in our church’s new program, Great Food for All, by buying enough frozen food packages to send home with each patient on Monday night before the Clinic closes for the Christmas holidays.
Equally important are all of you who pray for the Clinic, volunteers, patients, and staff. We need your continued support through your prayers.
I am sure there are many more ways members help support the Clinic that I am unaware of. From all of us at the Clinic, thank you for your support through service, donations, and prayers.
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