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| Kum Bah Yah House Manager, Earline Hamm, a member of Ebenezer for more than 50 years, is a retired nurse. |
by Larry Ulrich
March 2006
Volunteers are the life blood of Kum Bah Yah House, the well baby clinic at Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood.
Ebenezer members are active in this outreach ministry, but the clinic also benefits from the volunteers and contributions of a number of northern Illinois Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod congregations.
When Sparks visited Kum Bah Yah House on a recent Saturday, volunteers from four congregations were present: St. Paul in Norwood Park, Hope in Countryside, Our Savior on Neva Avenue in Chicago, and St. Andrew’s in Park Ridge.
St. Andrew’s has a rich history of partnership with Ebenezer, begun through the Northern Illinois District Urban Linkage initiative. Carol Hannah, long-time member and leader at St. Andrew’s, was instrumental in forging the partnership between her suburban congregation and Ebenezer.
In addition to providing volunteers—two volunteer nurses at the clinic are from St. Andrew’s---this Park Ridge church also regularly collects disposable diapers for clinic clients.
Two volunteers from St. Paul in Norwood Park, Sue Laeder and Louise Bultman, were busy sorting and distributing free clothing when Sparks visited. Sue began her volunteer work here 15 years ago. She learned of Ebenezer from women on a bus ride to a LWML event. Sue had just come back from a mission trip to Papua New Guinea and was eagerly looking to do local mission work. Kum Bah Yah House fit the bill. Sue has regularly volunteered ever since. Three years ago she recruited Louise to join her at Kum Bah Yah House.
The children’s clothing being sorted that day, in sizes from newborn up to 6X, came from many places. “LWML units all over the Northern Illinois District donate clothes,” Sue told Sparks. Individuals and organizations also provide baby items, including diapers, lotion, wipes, and baby food. Additionally, Kum Bah Yah House has begun collecting personal care items, including shampoo, tooth paste, and soap, for use by the children’s mothers.
Congregations not only provide volunteers who work directly with the ministry’s clients. Some have provided volunteer labor and gifts in other ways. For instance, the youth group at St. Paul in Norwood Park painted Christian murals on the clinic walls.
Other volunteers help by entertaining children while their mothers are meeting with the nurses. June Byshenk, a member of Hope in Countryside, was spotted entertaining several children when Sparks visited the clinic.
June expresses her love for children in other ways as well. Since her retirement from a major telecommunications company, June also volunteers as preschool director at her home congregation. Volunteering at Kum Bah Yah House is a family affair for the Byshenks. June’s husband John provided much needed ‘muscle power’ for lifting clothing bins when Sparks was visiting Kum Bah Yah House.
If you are interested in learning more about volunteering at Kum Bah Yah House or how to donate items used in the ministry, please click here.
Larry Ulrich is the Director of People Ablaze!
More on this ministry:
Well Baby Clinic Equips North Lawndale Mothers
Christ's Love Shared in North Lawndale
Profile of Ebenezer's Ministry
Well Baby Clinic photos in photo album
To make a financial donation to this ministry, click here and indicate "Ebenezer, North Lawndale" as the ministry you wish to support.
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