Bertha Everett says most of the time she didn’t know where the children ended up after they grew up. But sometimes she did.
“At one of the churches where we were we had a bus ministry,” Everett said. “Our church chose to go into the more low-income areas of the city to reach out to the children there.”
During those years she ran 130 in the children’s worship she helped lead. And years later one of those little boys wrote her a letter.
“He was letting me know he was going to seminary to be a pastor,” she said.
And that’s just one child. During Everett’s 65 years of teaching Vacation Bible School (VBS) and Sunday School and leading other children’s ministries it’s impossible to know the impact, said Linda Whiteley, Woman’s Missionary Union director at University Baptist Church, Huntsville, where Everett has been a member for the past 20 years. The church honored Everett Nov. 3 as she retired from her long legacy of service.
“Bertha Everett is a priceless treasure,” Whiteley said. “Her boundless energy and infectious laugh make her a joy to be around.”
Referencing 2 Corinthians 3:2, Whiteley said Everett’s life “has been written on the hearts of children and adults alike” through her years of service.
She called Everett a “role model and an inspiration for all.”
When Everett was in high school her church asked her to serve in VBS and the rest is history. As the years went on she and her husband, Ralph, moved around as part of his job with NASA. They joined churches in Texas, Ohio, Florida, Alabama and the Washington, D.C. area. And at every one Everett told the pastor she wanted to be involved in teaching children.
“I just love kids,” she said. “And I love teaching.” (Grace Thornton)
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