STRASBURG — For more than 40 years, people have been dialing a phone number at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Strasburg to hear a devotion.
The recorded devotion is available 24/7. Joyce Ulmer calls the line early in the morning as part of her daily routine.
She started calling two years ago when her health began failing. Ulmer is housebound because she can’t walk and has macular degeneration, which makes it difficult for her to see.
“I don’t get over to church every Sunday like I used to,” said Ulmer, who is a member of St. Paul’s.
Ulmer considers the ministry a blessing and believes more should call to hear a devotion.
“I’ve talked to members I’ve known all my life that don’t call it. I don’t know why,” she said.
The uplifting, comforting, inspirational devotionals are the work of Pause for Peace ministry.
The idea started with Patsy Lenz’s Sunday School class. They were looking for something they could do to help spread the Gospel. Some class members were from Windsor and mentioned a church there with a telephone ministry.
“We said, ‘Well, we could do that,’” she recalled.
When the phone ministry started, it received about 200 calls a day. But now, the group has no way of knowing how many calls are received.
“Our machine broke, and we weren’t able to get one to tell us how many calls we get a day,” said Lenz.
Lenz gets feedback from time to time, letting them know people are still listening. Sometimes, people will tell her, “Oh, that was a really good devotion, or I really needed that that day. That really helped me,” she said.
Lenz estimates 175 people have been part of the telephone ministry since it started 43 years ago. However, the number of people who regularly record devotions has dwindled. Now, there are just enough members for each one to record a new devotion once a month. While many write their own, some read from a devotional guide.
“Or if they see something they think is inspiring, then they’ll use that,” said Lenz.
Lenz gets a lot of her inspiration from her many devotional guides. She reads four a day – two in the morning and two in the evening. She is inspired by other sources as well.
“If there is a happening in town, world happenings sometimes will inspire one,” she said.
Roger Kull, who has been recording devotions for the ministry for many years, tries to come up with his own. His inspiration? Life.
“Sometimes, on the news, sometimes something I read from the Bible. A lot of times be something there you could take off with,” he said.
Callers can hear his devotions on the second Friday of every month. They range in duration from really short to 3 to 4 minutes.
“I have a hard time keeping them short, but I don’t like to get them too long,” he said.
Kull has saved every one of his devotions. He stores them in a large shoebox in a desk drawer in his basement.
“I could probably write a book before long,” he quipped of the number he has amassed.
Kull said someone will often mention to him that they heard his devotion and want to talk about it.
He also calls the line to listen to other devotions.
“I don’t every day, but a lot of days,” he said.
Lenz is surprised Pause for Peace is still going when other such ministries have hung it up. She believes that may be due to the opportunity it provides.
“It gives the people a way to witness, and evidently, people like it,” said Lenz. “Because people need the Lord. They need to think that there’s somebody besides just them and someplace where they can get help, just to feel closer to the Lord or maybe just to hear somebody.
“Sometimes, for older people who are all by themselves, it’s just good to hear somebody’s voice, some encouragement,” she added.
Kull said he benefits from writing devotions because it’s “regular and relentless.” Even though it’s once a month, he has to prepare something to be ready with, which prompts him to think a lot about it.
“You’re always looking for a topic and doing some research. It can be something happening in the world you can apply to,” he said.
Kull attributes the ministry’s longevity to Lenz, who does the scheduling and keeps the ministry going.
“It takes somebody to be in charge like Patsy. If somebody forgets, she’ll go down real quick and record one,” he said.
Ulmer also attributes Pause for Peace’s success to Lenz.
“She’s been great about it. She’s a good person and a good Christian,” she said.
For Lenz, who has recorded a lot of devotions and has them all written down, it’s hard to imagine not doing it. She hopes the ministry will continue for future generations.
“That would be good,” she said.
To hear a devotion, call 217-644-3124.