The Hall of Fame: Jennifer Wood

The Youth Group Hall of Fame may exist only in my mind, but it is loaded with students from Springfield Friends Meeting.  I have mentioned many of them in previous posts, and they will receive official "induction" in the future.  Today I would like to tell you about our second official HOF member, Jennifer Wood.  She is pictured above in the Youth Room around 1991.

Jennifer (also known as Woodhead!) was a 7th grader when I arrived at Springfield.  She was a skinny, shy little girl who lived across town and thus went to a different school than most of the rest of our group (she was joined in that by Jennifer Welch and Wendy Mattocks).  I worried about her in those early days, thinking she might not ever really feel a part of the ministry.  All of that changed one Sunday afternoon that first year.  I don't remember the details of why she did it, but for some reason Jennifer began to beat Jamie Robinson over the head with a Bible.  Yes- a Bible!  We picked on her about it for months, and she quickly felt like she had secured her place in our youth family. Some even called her "the bible beater!"  In the years that would follow she was one of our most committed, faithful and helpful students.  She seldom missed a meeting, a service project or an event, and she was part of some memorable trips as well (Disney with Wendy and Kelly Allen above). She grew in her faith and in her leadership role in our ministry. And very few youth over the years have made me laugh more than Jennifer.   Marilyn and I loved her like a daughter, and she holds a very special place in our hearts.  She also holds an esteemed place in the Hall of Fame. 

Because of Jesus,