Honoring Jennifer

Today the staff honored Jennifer Maddox Beauford at a luncheon. She retired the end of December for health reasons, having served 15 years here. It was quite moving to hear the many tributes made. We were pleased to have Jonathan Olsen come and take part. Phil Ryken emailed remarks, which represent much of what different staff stood up to say. I will include them here.

I praise God for the work of transforming grace that he has done in Jennifer’s life, and for the way this has been a blessing to her family and her church.  Her retirement is a loss for Tenth Church, especially her colleagues on the staff.

Here are some of the many things I admire about Jennifer: her sacrificial love for her family, including not only her daughters, but also her beautiful niece Jacqueline; her solid work ethic and willingness to serve others with her hands; her joyful spirit in singing God’s praises; her significant growth through the careful study of God’s Word; and her generosity in sharing the things God has given to her. 

Through her service on the church staff, Jennifer has been a blessing to every single member of Tenth Church.  I am grateful for her help to me in my work at Tenth and also for the joy she has brought into the lives of other people that I care about.  I think especially of Clive and Millie Stockdale and Phil Beauford—dear friends who have been blessed by their close connections to Jennifer. 

My prayer is that her retirement will bring rest, refreshment, and many opportunities to do good work for the Lord and to see His grace working in the lives of the people she loves and serves.