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Bowdle Bear Ministry

Posted on Jul 21, 2010

Bowdle Bear Ministry

Teddy Bear Ministry is thriving in the Bowdle Adventist Church.  It came about at the request of a church member, Tom Hannon, who is a South Dakota Highway patrolman.  Tom asked Coleen Harner if she would consider making blankets he needs to deal with displaced children in his job. Coleen asked Roxanne Gill to help.  The project has grown. Coleen and Roxanne contacted Social Services in Mobridge and Aberdeen who were also interested. Harner and Gill put the blankets in cloth bags, add a teddy bear and a personal care kit with shorts or undergarments, comb, toothbrush and toothpaste. Little Friends or Bible story pamphlets have also been added. Hannon says when these bags are delivered, he receives many smiles. Harner and Gill have also given bags to two County Sheriffs.

The Bowdle Adventist Church pays for the bags, personal care items and teddy bears.  Harner and Gill purchase the fleece and to date have made close to 200 blankets.  “It is fun to pick out the fabric and think of the kids that will receive the blankets,” Gill relates.  “But it isn’t always the blanket or the bear that makes the impression. One social worker related to Harner that a child took all the items out of the bag and remarked; ‘Now I have my own toothbrush and don’t have to share with my brother.’”  Most of the children the Social Services or Law Enforcement deal with are from troubled homes. Harner and Gill feel very blessed to help out in this small way.  Several churches around the Dakota Conference are doing similar projects with great results. 

Author: Roxanne Gill

Photos by Jacquie Biloff