There is a unique, 40 year-old ministry in Swansea and I got the scoop from Brenda Furtick, one of the current “chicks” from The Henhouse Ministry. She has been part of the ministry since 2011.

Brenda said she loves God and wanted a place to serve others. From the way she lit up and gushed about it, I would say she found the right place to serve.

Ms. Gussie Kennerly Johnson and a small group of ladies from the Sunday school class she taught at Ebenezer United Methodist Church started the Henhouse Ministry in 1977. The ladies realized there were needs around them. They wanted to help but lacked the means to do so.

One day just before retiring, Ms. Gussie saw a truckload of scrap material going by her office on the way to the landfill and thought it could be used for quilts. She contacted the industry, arranged to get the scraps, and her little band of ladies started making quilts to sell. Later that year they acquired a house for quilting and met there every Wednesday. They became known as The Henhouse Ministry.

In addition to the quilts, they sold small magnolia trees that grew in the woods. Then it was plants from their own yards like strawberries, blueberries, irises, day lilies, peanuts. The community began contributing all manner of items that were converted into sellable things.

Today, the “store” which opens Wednesdays from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. sells handcrafted dolls, adult and baby quilts, dish cloths, aprons, bibs for kids and adults, and lap quilts for Hospice patients at Baptist Hospital. All the money goes to local needs.

There are also two big yard sales on the Saturdays before Mother’s Day and Thanksgiving that raise money for two $2,000 scholarships to deserving incoming college freshman from the area.

I want to see it all for myself, so I’m going some Wednesday soon and see what else is there. Why don’t you do the same?

Do you have a ministry you want to talk about ? Call me at the Chronicle