Women all agree they have received a blessing from the project but the time has come to pass the ministry to a new generation
For more than two decades, a small group of women at the Second Street Church of Christ in Belmont quietly carried out a ministry that brought comfort to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of children in moments of fear and uncertainty.
With needle, thread and a lot of heart, Debra Searcy, Doris Vandagriff, Edna Gibson Byram, Bonnie Holcomb, Glenda Williams, Janie Dees and Rajama Johnson created handmade teddy bears that found their way into the emergency rooms, ambulances and doctors’ offices across the area.
Now, after roughly 25 years of service, the group is laying down their needles – and hopeful there are others who will pick up the mission.
“We were looking for a project, something to do for the community,” Byram recalled of the group’s early days. “We had been making bears where I attended before moving here, so that’s how it got started.”
What began as a simple idea quickly grew into a well-organized effort. The women started out producing as many as 80 bears a month, each one crafted by hand through a multi-step process that required both patience and teamwork. Fabric, often donated by supportive community members and found on trips to stores, was traced, cut into shape, and sewn together. Labels were added identifying the ministry. The bears were then turned, stuffed and stitched closed during monthly gatherings.
From there, each bear made its way to Holcomb, the group’s artist, who carefully painted on faces, giving each bear its own personality.
“She made the cutest faces,” Williams said.
Finally, ribbons were tied, and the bears were bagged and delivered, most often to the emergency room at Red Bay Hospital, but also to North Mississippi Medical Center in Iuka.
Each bear represented hours of work.
“At least three hours,” Byram said. “But it depended on the person and the step.”
The effort was labor-intensive, but the reward came in knowing the difference those small, soft companions made.
One story in particular has stayed with the group over the years.
“I was here at the emergency room one night and a kid came in screaming,” Holcomb said. “I went to the nurse and asked if they had any of the bears. She said they did and when they gave that child one, it hushed right away.”
Another told of a young patient who clung tightly to a bear, refusing to let it go.
“That’s what makes it hard to quit,” Williams said.
Indeed, the staff at Red Bay Hospital’s emergency room has appreciated the bears and the women’s ministry.
“It’s a lot of smiles that those ladies have given to kids that they don’t even really get to see, but the kids love those little bears. They really do,” said Mike Robinson, Director of Nursing at Red Bay Hospital. “I can’t tell you how many bears we give out up here. It’s just a nice little gift, and they do a really good job with them.”
Over the years, the group received thank-you cards and letters, many sent to the church using the address stitched onto each bear.
“It meant a lot to know where they went and how they helped,” Willams said.
But time, as it does, has brought change.
Arthritis and other physical challenges have made the detailed handwork more difficult. Membership has dwindled as some women moved away or passed on. Among them was Jan Higginbottom, remembered by the group as a faithful worker who “was always there,” ready to help wherever needed.
“We’ve just dwindled down to where it’s hard to keep going,” Williams said.
Despite their decision to step away, the women hope their work doesn’t end entirely. They still have materials, patterns and experience they are willing to share with anyone interested in continuing the ministry.
“We still have lots of material and patterns available,” Byram said. “It would be great if somebody picked it up.”
Their final delivery – several large bags filled with around 50 bears taken to the Red Bay Hospital in March – marks the closing of a chapter, but not the end of their service to others.
“We’re just going to sit around and talk about our sore hands,” said Williams, bringing a round of laughter to the group. In reality, though, they are going to stay active. “We won’t stay idle. We’ll still be doing things for the congregation, helping people when they’re sick, cooking meals.”
For Searcy, who has been part of the group for a shorter time than some, the experience has been deeply meaningful.“These ladies are the light of my life. I’ve been blessed to be around Christian women all my life,” she said. Despite moving around from Belmont to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and back, “God has put me just exactly where I needed to be. And I think He did that here.”
News photo/Jason Collum
