AJ Palm has begun a “Parishioner Spotlight” series here at Good Shepherd. Christ’s love is exemplified in the lives of many of our parishioners. Different ages and walks of life, these parishioners show us models of how to live their Christian faith in the world, touching other people's lives in both ordinary and extraordinary ways. Enjoy reading about your friends and parishioners
July Parishioner Spotlight: Ruby Cox
I met Ruby for the first time the Sunday before we did our interview on June 6th, 2021. She is a very kind and funny woman who made me feel comfortable as soon as I met her. On the first day we met, I was so nervous that the only thing I remember is her telling me about the first class she taught in 1965, and how some of her students were now on Medicare. During our interview, on the topic of that same class, she told me “one of the ways that you can break barriers is with a sense of humor and I find that children have a great sense of humor.”
Ruby is also a very religious person, but it comes across in subtle ways. For example, she takes great pride in helping others, cleaning the church and doing what may seem like mundane work. Over the course of our interview, I realized why. To her, these are not just everyday tasks, but ways of serving God. One thing Ruby taught me is to value little, ordinary things that go on behind the scenes, like looking for the ‘church mouse’. There’s so much tradition that you don’t really see. in Ruby’s words, “People pass on their knowledge. A link to the past to bring to the present so that you can better the future.”
Ruby was raised in the Greek Orthodox Church but joined the Episcopal Church as a teenager, and later started coming to the Good Shepherd after she moved to Reading in 1972 (“now do the math” as she said). We talked a little bit about why she stayed, and she told me that when she was new, she could “just turn to somebody and say ‘can you help me with this?’ or ‘how should I be doing that?’ and people just open their hearts to you, they really do. It’s called having faith— faith in God, faith in people” and I can certainly concur. When some of our parishioners were having health difficulties or lost a spouse, it was so heartwarming to see the entire community provide support for them and send prayers their way.
When I asked Ruby how a church could maintain the “warmth in the walls” for over forty years, she told me that it comes back to tradition. The older members pass on the spirit of the church to the younger ones, and then they pass it on to the next generation, just like a family. I’m so glad I got the chance to meet her and I’ll try to keep the tradition going for as long as I’m here.
I met Ruby for the first time the Sunday before we did our interview on June 6th, 2021. She is a very kind and funny woman who made me feel comfortable as soon as I met her. On the first day we met, I was so nervous that the only thing I remember is her telling me about the first class she taught in 1965, and how some of her students were now on Medicare. During our interview, on the topic of that same class, she told me “one of the ways that you can break barriers is with a sense of humor and I find that children have a great sense of humor.”
Ruby is also a very religious person, but it comes across in subtle ways. For example, she takes great pride in helping others, cleaning the church and doing what may seem like mundane work. Over the course of our interview, I realized why. To her, these are not just everyday tasks, but ways of serving God. One thing Ruby taught me is to value little, ordinary things that go on behind the scenes, like looking for the ‘church mouse’. There’s so much tradition that you don’t really see. in Ruby’s words, “People pass on their knowledge. A link to the past to bring to the present so that you can better the future.”
Ruby was raised in the Greek Orthodox Church but joined the Episcopal Church as a teenager, and later started coming to the Good Shepherd after she moved to Reading in 1972 (“now do the math” as she said). We talked a little bit about why she stayed, and she told me that when she was new, she could “just turn to somebody and say ‘can you help me with this?’ or ‘how should I be doing that?’ and people just open their hearts to you, they really do. It’s called having faith— faith in God, faith in people” and I can certainly concur. When some of our parishioners were having health difficulties or lost a spouse, it was so heartwarming to see the entire community provide support for them and send prayers their way.
When I asked Ruby how a church could maintain the “warmth in the walls” for over forty years, she told me that it comes back to tradition. The older members pass on the spirit of the church to the younger ones, and then they pass it on to the next generation, just like a family. I’m so glad I got the chance to meet her and I’ll try to keep the tradition going for as long as I’m here.