A Grace Filled Life

Eloise Dubs (weekly volunteer in library)

For our Friday Feature this week, we caught up with Eloise Dubs in the Stillmeadow library to talk about her mother, Grace Minnich. Her mom was a passionate supporter of Stillmeadow Church of the Nazarene. 

Grace Minnich

SPECIAL LEGACY
Grace Minnich was a farmer’s wife, and when the family made a decision to sell the farm, they tithed on the sale. At the time, Stillmeadow was under construction and the Minnich tithe paid for one entire corner of our building, which included Grace Chapel. Stillmeadow Nazarenes stand on the shoulders of dedicated people like Grace.

Grace Chapel

GRACE FILLED LIFE 

According to Pastor Bud, “Even before we occupied the new building, the church board decided on the name "Grace Chapel", because the name reflected how Grace lived her life."

GRACE AS DESCRIBED BY HER GRANDDAUGHTER

"I have wonderful memories of my dear grandmother, Grace Minnich. Whenever I would spend the night with her, we would read one chapter in the Bible at bedtime. She and grandpa allowed a crippled homeless man to stay in the wood shed with a small heater for his entire life until he passed away. Every evening she would take him the daily newspaper and a hot meal. She also rounded up all the neighborhood children for VBS each year. She had a great heart for our missionary work, visiting us in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica. Best of all, she baked delicious cherry pies!"         Toni Dubs Porter  

OTHER INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT GRACE MINNICH

• It was not unusual for the Minnich family to walk 13 miles - just to get an ice cream cone. (Must have been good ice cream!)
• In the 1940's, Grace Minnich's daughter Eloise Dubs, would ride her horse about 8 miles one way, from the farm - through the square in York City to Haines Acres. 
• Since buses didn't pick up kids in the late 1930's, Grace, her kids and some neighbor kids would walk up the railroad tracks to Croll Sunday School. Since that time, the railroad tracks have been replaced by what we now call “The Rail Trail”. 
• Toni Dubs Porter is the wife of Dr. Jerry Porter, general superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene. The Porters were blessed with two children, Amy Jo and William Britt. At age 17, Amy’s left arm had to be amputated due to synuvial cell sarcoma cancer in her wrist. She battled courageously for the next four years and passed away December 2, 1995. You can view the Amy Porter story HERE.
• An Amy Porter Memorial Fund still exists at Stillmeadow. (some of these funds have aided people to be part of our Jamaica Missions project) 

This was the barn on the Minnich property as it looked 50 years ago