Plymouth Magazine-Summer24-DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 7
My Story
By Beth Stelle Jones
It was the 1960s. My parents attended the Glenview
Presbyterian Church in a suburb north of Chicago. Dad taught
the high school Sunday School class where he was unorthodox
and outspoken, the students loved him. He was asked to leave
the church. No kidding, he saved the letter.
There was no move to another church. When I was in fifth grade,
sister Annie in third, and little sister Sarah trailing behind, we
asked if it was ok for us to walk to church by ourselves. On rainy
days, Mom agreed to drive us. The congregation leadership had
turned over by then and they accepted us with open arms, never
making us feel different. I played the Angel Gabrielle in the
Christmas Pageant. We were all confirmed and attended, then
taught vacation Bible school, the whole package. Dick joined the
church and became an active member in 1977. We were married
there the following year, and our daughter, Emily, was baptized at
the same church as the three little Stelle girls.
Our extended family vacationed every summer in Lake Geneva,
Wisconsin. At 16, I was the eldest of all the cousins and would
often be given instructions to entertain the kids. One night we
attended a concert at George Williams College, not knowing it
was a Christian concert or that there would be an altar call. Yes,
I went down the stairs, up the aisle, and around the back of the
stage where I was assigned someone to talk to. It was a guidance
counselor from my high school, Glenbrook South! We talked,
he prayed and gave me his Bible. That started two years of
weekly visits.
What are those Stelle girls doing now? I have served at the
Glenview Presbyterian Church, the First Presbyterian Church
of Libertyville as an Elder, and various Boards, and leadership
roles at Plymouth Church. Annie is a retired hospital chaplain in
Chicago, and Sarah, a Methodist minister in Franklin, Tennessee.
Mom, AB, joined Plymouth Church after moving to Des
Moines. It was the first church she had belong to in 50 years.
When I shared this story with a church small group in
Libertyville, one of the participants commented, “The Force
runs deep in your family.” Without the unquestioning love
and support of the Glenview Presbyterian Church members,
the three little girls may never have continued on their faith
journeys. What a blessing!
About the Author
Beth and her husband, Dick, have lived
in Des Moines for 18 years. Following 25
years in EarlyChildhood, five at Plymouth
Nursery School, Beth volunteers at church
and in the community. You may also
see her walking standard poodle, Fergie
Jenkins in the Plymouth neighborhood.
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