Pamela Teeter (aka Ms. Pam)

04/01/24

What service do you attend most and why?

11am because I teach the Confirmation Class during the Sunday School hour.

How long have you been attending HOPE, and what brought you here?

9 Years, I attended Emanuel’s Lutheran Church in Bellevue, PA.  Unfortunately, it closed due to extremely low membership and lack of funds.  After attending this small church, I asked God to please lead me to the largest Lutheran Church north of Pittsburgh.

What keeps you at HOPE?

I enjoy the traditional Lutheran worship service and singing the older hymns accompanied by the organ.  And, I learn a great deal from Pastor Ron’s inspirational sermons also.

What are some of your passions or hobbies and how have you incorporated them at HOPE?

There are many: petting my cats and rescuing cats, socializing with my friends, playing Tennis (I belong to numerous USTA competitive teams), hiking at Moraine State Park, listening to disco music, ringing the Salvation Army bell during the Red Kettle Christmas campaign, watching the news, listening to True Crime stories and writing a book about the maximum security men’s prison where I worked many years.

I share many stories about important and pertinent information with the Confirmation students so they can learn from my experiences.  I teach the 7th and 8th graders in fun ways, and offer prizes and treats when they participate and answer questions correctly.  I have taught Confirmation classes 16 years in total, 9 at HOPE.

How does your volunteerism support your life of faith?

We glorify God by serving others.  I believe God has called me to teach Confirmation and to ring the Salvation Army bell.

What events do you enjoy attending at HOPE?

I love our church picnics after worship services; I especially love the hot dogs!!

What inspires you to attend activities or give of your time and talents?

I find it meaningful to teach the Confirmation students.  I teach them as if they were my own.  I pass on what my mother and grandmother taught me about always putting God first in your life.

Anything else you would like to share?

Working for the State Correctional Facility is the best-kept secret.  One can be a corrections officer, food service worker, counselor, teacher, etc. and have direct contact with the inmates. Or, there are departments like accounting, human resources, purchasing, records, mailroom, etc. where you do not work directly with inmates. Want to learn more?  Just ask her, she’ll share her secrets and maybe a story from her book she is writing “Behind the Walls.”