Local Church Dedicates Playground
"She loved kids" Libby Gilley was a constant presence in the congregation at the Chattanooga Valley Church of the Nazarene.
"Miss Libby has been a part of this church for a long, long time. She’s influenced just about all the generations of our church. Very much a loved lady," said Pastor John Bemis.
When she lost her battle with cancer this past spring, a project to honor her legacy was already in the works, one that she was helping to build with her husband Barry.
"Libby and I talked about a small play ground for Chattanooga Valley. When she was in the hospital and things really got bad, people wanted to do things and they asked what can I do to help. If you want to make a donation we could start doing that. With that, we raised about 50 thousand dollars, and now today we have this play ground for the kids."
It’s a fitting tribute to a woman who spent so much time teaching and molding the next generation.
"She was a school teacher, and all that time when she was teaching, she loved kids. Anything she could do for children that was her basis for life. She wanted to try and influence children for Christ. She wanted to love them, so I thought what better way than a playground that would do that.."
And even though the rain kept the kids away, it didn’t dampen the celebration of a life that transformed an entire congregation…
"That’s exactly what a church is to be about, and our desire is to do things that positively influence our community and actually give something back to our community. This has been a great unifying force for our church and for the community," said Bemis.
"There’s no better place than a playground. She loved kids. To be able to go by now and see that monument to her legacy is pretty special."
"Miss Libby has been a part of this church for a long, long time. She’s influenced just about all the generations of our church. Very much a loved lady," said Pastor John Bemis.
When she lost her battle with cancer this past spring, a project to honor her legacy was already in the works, one that she was helping to build with her husband Barry.
"Libby and I talked about a small play ground for Chattanooga Valley. When she was in the hospital and things really got bad, people wanted to do things and they asked what can I do to help. If you want to make a donation we could start doing that. With that, we raised about 50 thousand dollars, and now today we have this play ground for the kids."
It’s a fitting tribute to a woman who spent so much time teaching and molding the next generation.
"She was a school teacher, and all that time when she was teaching, she loved kids. Anything she could do for children that was her basis for life. She wanted to try and influence children for Christ. She wanted to love them, so I thought what better way than a playground that would do that.."
And even though the rain kept the kids away, it didn’t dampen the celebration of a life that transformed an entire congregation…
"That’s exactly what a church is to be about, and our desire is to do things that positively influence our community and actually give something back to our community. This has been a great unifying force for our church and for the community," said Bemis.
"There’s no better place than a playground. She loved kids. To be able to go by now and see that monument to her legacy is pretty special."
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