Every Sunday morning, a group of very special women meet at Montgomery United Methodist Church on Sunset Road in Belle Mead. They are part of a mentor-based, reward and recognition program teaching them about God’s love.
Pastor Tony Godlefski and Stacy Ladyman
displaying Pink Bibles and Heart & Key Materials.
Working with women from the Crawford House, a Daytop Village recovery house in Montgomery, the Church is reaching out to change lives through a program called “Heart and Key.”
What Heart and Key strives to do is provide a safe place for women to reconnect with God. Many women find themselves at Crawford House due to their addiction to heroin, alcohol, or opioids. So, it is with their courageous first steps of recovery that Heart and Key steps in.
“Showing these women just how much God cares about them is such a joy for me,” says Stacy Ladyman, developer of the Heart and Key program. “It is kind of like when someone begins to read for the first time, you can see the light bulb come on. It is the same with our program, we are reconnecting God to their heart, with each new discovery they make in our class.”
Working through five sections — the Bible, Key, Jesus, the Church, and the Trinity — the ladies learn they are valued and loved. The program employs tactile learning and arts and crafts as well. After they have attended three Heart and Key sessions, they receive a pink Bible.
The day the women receive their special Bible is a memorable one. There are tears of joy, and applause from everyone as the congregation unites to bless the Bibles and those who receive them. There are deep feelings of love and affirmation from our church community for these brave young women, some of whom have never been in a church before. Others attended as a child but have been away for a while.
I am thrilled about this program and am so grateful to Mrs. Ladyman for all she has done to develop and mentor this important experience.
“This program really is for all ages. From youth to adults, it is a simple return to Bible basics and really enjoying God’s Word and applying it to our hearts,” says Mrs. Ladyman.
Maybe your heart has been locked up for a long time. Maybe it has felt broken. Perhaps you’ve felt lonely, and depressed. Maybe faith is new to you; but God has always cared about you — always.
Faith in God is the key to opening up that locked up place in your heart. Why not let God’s light pour in? Are you ready? When invited into a heart, God always says, ‘Yes!’
Mrs. Ladyman and I would be very happy to speak to your church, club, or school about this exciting program. You can contact me at: PastorTony@MontgomeryUMC.org.
We invite you to visit our Church’s website, www.WelcomeChurch.net, and the Heart and Key Program website, www.heartandkey.org.
Montgomery United Methodist church is located at 117 Sunset Road, Belle Mead, NJ, 08502. Church Services take place every Sunday at 8:45 and 10:30 am. You’re always welcome. ■
Pastor Tony Godlefski is Senior Pastor of Montgomery United Methodist Church, also known as the “Welcome Church.”
