Category: News

Chaplain Laura made the announcement at our choir practice that the focus for resident feedback for the month of July is to be “our favorite hymn.” Actually, I have several “favorite” hymns, but the first one that popped into my head was Freely, Freely.

When I was getting ready to retire from Northern Oklahoma College as chair of the Department of Nursing, naturally my thoughts turned to “what do I do next?” I had served as a missionary of the United Methodist Church in Nigeria in my younger years and continued to have a passion for “mission.” I was still very healthy and capable and wondered if the Lord might still have a place for me on the mission field. There was a part of me that kept saying “yes,” but another part seemed to keep questioning if one should pursue such a challenge at 62 years old. I kept praying for guidance.

Then one Sunday, the hymn Freely, Freely was sung, and God let me know that we were singing it as an answer to my prayer. I had been so blessed in my life to have been provided an opportunity for obtaining education and experience in nursing and nursing education. I had been blessed with good health and a love for mission. Truly, I had “freely received.” Why should I NOT say “yes” to God and pursue returning to the mission field and “freely give.”

I reached out to the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church and was assured there was a place for me to return to the mission field as a nurse educator. I was assigned to go to Zimbabwe, Africa, to be in charge of a nursing school that desperately needed a director. What a blessing that was. Once again, “freely” I received. — Delphine Jewell

Freely, Freely
Words and Music by Carol Owens
God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name, I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name,
And in Jesus’ name I come to you, to share his love as he told me to.
He said, “Freely, freely you have received, freely, freely give.
Go in my name, and because you believe, others will know that I live.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing;
Know ye that the Lord he is God: It is he that hath made us and not we ourselves;
We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise,
Be thankful unto him and bless his name.
For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting,
and his truth endureth to all the generations.
— Psalm 100

Music has always been part of my life. In my childhood, there were Community Concerts in my hometown, Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Later, I sang in the choir at the Episcopal church. The Methodist hymnal is familiar because I also attended the Methodist Church with my paternal grandmother. Summer camp for 7 years introduced me to gospel music which I have grown to love even more in the past 10 years.

I studied music therapy in the training to be a counselor and therapist. Music can help to lower one’s blood pressure and heart rate. In working with those affected by addiction, I used a film from PBS and Bill Moyers which tells the story of the hymn Amazing Grace and the man who wrote it, John Newton. He had a spiritual awakening due to a prayer he had said during a storm at sea. Because he survived, he changed his ways from being a slave trader sea captain to a believer in God. The film goes on to show how Amazing Grace has influenced people all over the world. It is a powerful example of how great words of redemption with a haunting melody can stir one’s soul to heal.

Recently at Epworth Villa, I have joined the choir and received so much pleasure from the hymns we sing. Our choir director, Ginger, reminds us that we are singing a prayer. Those tunes and words play in my mind all week long. Thursdays at 3:30 in Brill Chapel the Vespers service is so precious. It lifts me up in Spirit. Thanks be to God for music!

As a noun, Merriam-Webster defines mission as a calling or vocation, or a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry-on humanitarian work. It goes on to define missions as a plural as organized missionary work. At Epworth Villa it is defined as caring for others – even those we may never meet or know. To celebrate May Mission Month, Epworth Villa’s Religious Life Committee and newly appointed Chaplain, Laura Glover, have teamed with Epworth community volunteers including Delphine Jewell, Jimette McLean, and Cathy Nichols.

The group sought out speakers to share their stories of missions throughout the month and led the community in two large projects. The first mission project was a clothing drive to benefit Skyline Urban Ministry.  The community gathered 881 pounds of new and gently used spring and summer clothing.  This broke their previous record of 550 pounds.  The flood buckets were the final project of Epworth Villa’s Mission Month.  On March 28^th, residents, employees, board members, and special guests met to celebrate all the current and former missionaries in the community and assemble the flood buckets.  The group had a goal of completing 10 buckets at a cost of $60-75 per bucket.

Flood buckets contain the essentials needed to enable those affected by floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes — locally and globally — to begin the overwhelming job of cleaning up. A specific list of supplies for the flood buckets is provided by UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief). They are a global relief agency that helps with relief efforts both here in Oklahoma and around the world.

Glover said in her short tenure at Epworth Villa, she has been so delighted at how busy and involved the residents of Epworth Villa are in their community. “We have so many residents who have given of their time and talents in missions throughout their lifetime – and there is no stopping them now!”

Old friends, new friends, good food and good music, and no rain made for a great night at Epworth Villa.