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 Red Bird Missionary Conference One of the biggest supporters of the Red Bird Missionary Conference was Ferne I. Bronk (November 19, 1902 to May 28, 2001). Ruth Keene published the following remembrance of Ferne in The Scroll in July 2001. It seems appropriate to say a few words as we remember the dedicated life of our sister-in-Christ, Ferne Bronk. In her 98 years, she never wavered in her devotion to her Lord. Much of her dedication was prominent in the life of her only church—Rose of Sharon UM Church. She faithfully taught Sunday School for countless years. She was very active in the Women’s Missionary Society and an ardent worker for Red Bird Mission in Kentucky. When the Educational Building was built, she served on the Building Committee. North Central College, of which Ferne was an alumna, was the recipient of generous monetary gifts. She and her family gave Sharon Church its first electric organ in memory of her father. These are but a few of her gestures of faith. Her faith was so great—many times a group of us, including Frene, knelt in prayer asking for a healing or a special blessing. Her life was a witness to her Lord, and to us. She was a rose in our midst. This poem is dedicated to her. As the Heart Remembers Spring Some will be remembered For the fortunes of their fame. And some will be remembered For the naming of a name, But you will be remembered As the heart remembers spring, As the mind remembers beauty, And the soul each lovely thing. You have been as selfless In the gracious things you do As the sun tat shares its kisses As the night that shares its dew. You have planted roses In the lives that lay so bare, You have sown encouragement To those who knew despair. You have been skies of April, And fragrant breath of May. And like the season’s coming, Warm-spirited and gay. You have given freely Of the beauty of your heart, And you have made of friendship Not a gesture, but an art. By your spirits’ inner beauty In every lovely thing, You will be remembered As the heart remembers spring. Sayonara, dear friend, until According to Duke University's NORTH CAROLINA WOMEN WRITERS and THEIR WORKS, Betty W. Stoffel (Charlotte, NC) published two books of poetry: Moments of Eternity (1954) and Splendid Moments (1965) Learn more about Ruth Keene. |
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