Presbyterian Women
“B
Award” Presented at PW Summer Gathering
In
2000, Sunnyside established the “Key Person of the Year” award for
outstanding Presbyterian Women who served as Key Persons for the
Links of Love Program. The
first award was presented to Bessie
B Lewis, the original “Key Person,” who served as an advocate for
the needs of older adults and Sunnyside’s ministry within the Synod of
the Mid-Atlantic. In 2002,
the award was renamed the “B
Award” in Miss Lewis’ honor.
This year’s B
Award was presented to Mrs.
Charles W. “Beth” Cline of Alexandria, Virginia, during the 2003
Synod of the Mid-Atlantic Presbyterian Women's’ Summer Gathering at
Massanetta Springs Conference Center, Harrisonburg, VA.
Beth was a friend of B
Lewis and represented the Key Person/Links of Love Program within
her presbytery and church for more than 25 years.
She received the 2003 B
Award in recognition of her “service to God, the members of Mt.
Vernon Presbyterian Church, and the residents of Sunnyside.”
Beth was nominated for his award by Hazel Anderson, 2003 PW Moderator for
National Capital Presbytery, who made the presentation at a Tea sponsored
by Sunnyside on June 14th. Also
present for the award ceremony were several hundred PW leaders from across
the synod.
The
Legacy of Bessie “B” Lewis
by Judy
C. Ward, Sunnyside Development Office
On
April 17, 2002, a small memorial service was held at Ginter Park
Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia, for Miss Bessie Conway Lewis.
The following day, a private interment took place at Thornrose
Cemetery in Staunton. These
simple services gave little indication of the dynamic impact this tiny
woman has had on countless individuals and on Sunnyside’s
ministry. She left an amazing
legacy.
B (as she was fondly
known) was an inspirational teacher, speaker and writer.
She had a gift for sharing her vibrant faith and practical
insights from scripture. B
was a popular guest speaker at Presbyterian conferences and worship
services during the 50’s and 60’s.
She traveled widely throughout the Presbyterian Church, U.S.,
lecturing and giving her humorous “Book Talks.”
Her messages were refreshing, challenging, unconventional, and she
kept her audiences enthralled.
One of B’s dearest
friends was Peggy Witherspoon, who met B
in 1953 during a Presbyterian conference at Montreat, North
Carolina. Both women lived in
Richmond, graduated from Union Presbyterian School of Christian Education
(PSCE), and attended Ginter Park Presbyterian Church.
A close bond soon developed between them, and Peggy says B
treated her like a daughter. She
says B was “a ball of
fire,” “a joy to be around,” “a true saint of the Lord.”
Peggy enjoys recounting the following story: Though
B was small in stature –
4’10” tall, and weighing only 78 pounds – she captivated audiences
whenever she spoke. No one
wanted to miss a word that this little woman with a [southern] twang in
her voice had to say. One of
her most admirable qualities was her ability to laugh at herself. Although
a gifted and much-sought-after speaker, she enjoyed recounting a comment
once made when she was the last of several speakers on a long program.
When her time came to speak, the well-meaning lady introducing B said, “She’s not much to look at, but give her a chance!”
After
retiring in 1974, B was
asked to help develop a Synod-wide promotional program for Sunnyside
Presbyterian Home in Harrisonburg. She
had always been a staunch supporter of Sunnyside’s ministry to the
elderly, so she quickly agreed to serve as chairperson of
Sunnyside’s newly-formed Key Person Program (now known as the Links
of Love). The purpose of the program was to share Sunnyside’s
mission with Presbyterian churches and to raise Fellowship funds to
provide assistance for residents with needs.
So, at age 65, B focused her considerable energy on promoting Sunnyside throughout
the Synod. Her love for
Sunnyside’s ministry and its people was contagious, and the Key
Person/Links of Love Program grew rapidly under her
enthusiastic leadership . . . and continues to this day.
After
a lifetime of untiring service to God and the church, B
went home to her Lord on April 13, 2002.
However, her life’s work did not end with her death.
Last October, Sunnyside’s Development Department received word
that the “Links of Love Fellowship Fund” would be the recipient of a
generous bequest from the Estate of Bessie Conway Lewis.
B had done it again!
Through her will, she made her final “gift of a lifetime,”
endowing Sunnyside and several other ministries she loved. In
death, as in life, this remarkable woman of modest means left a lasting
legacy to carry on her life’s work.
The Links of Love Program and the residents of Sunnyside’s
communities will benefit from her thoughtful planning for many years to
come.
