My name is Henry Quillin. I am 14 years old, and I was lucky enough to be a part of delivering poinsettias to our Friends at Home members last year with Student Ministries. We delivered to the folks living in long-term care facilities. Since some of the senior members of St. Luke’s are unable to come to the Sunday services, my group and I drove to where our Friends at Home lived and gave them beautiful poinsettias so that they would know that they are loved by St. Luke’s.

Though it is such a simple act of kindness, you really see how much you can touch the hearts of the seniors and how much they enjoy our presence. The Friends at Home are so welcoming and grateful when you knock on their door, and you can see their faces light up with joy. They are so happy to just have some company! Most of the people gladly invited us in and engaged in conversation. In fact, there was one lovely lady who was not even a member but saw us walking in the hallway and invited us in to pet her kittens anyway. We also delivered to a veteran named Otto. Even though he was an astonishing 101 years old, he engaged in conversation with us and expressed his gratitude. He even showed us all of his really cool military memorabilia. Delivering poinsettias is really an amazing act of kindness, because not only does it make the seniors feel good, but it also makes you feel good. If I were you, I would not think twice about volunteering to take a plant to these folks.

Friends at Home is a Caring Ministries program currently serving 130 home bound St. Luke’s members who can no longer easily attend church. Each person receives a monthly activity packet, including a news letter from Rev. Bill Denham and a birthday card from Dr. Tom Pace. Many are paired with a St. Luke’s volunteer who checks in with them periodically with phone calls and other means of correspondence. During the Lenten and Advent seasons, a church-wide effort is made to visit and deliver a plant to them. If you know someone who might benefit from our Friends at Home program, please contact Shelley Quillin at squillin@storage.storage.stlukesmethodist.org or call 713-402-5033.