Matthew 18:20 reads, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
It’s a verse that Don Bailey not only knows but is living out as a resident at Good Samaritan Society – Ottumwa in Iowa.
“He is a light in the building,” said administrator Angela Adam. “If I haven’t had a chance to read the daily joke that our social worker puts on the boards, he will come by and he’ll recite the jokes for me – and tell me a few more that may not be written down on the board.”
Bailey has a mission of sharing his joy with others, which is why every Sunday you can find him in the chapel for his weekly sermon.
“I don’t claim to be a minister,” chuckled Bailey, who holds degrees in biology and applied science, and worked office jobs before retiring.
‘It has to be important to you’
Although Bailey doesn’t consider himself a man of the cloth, he is a man with a strong love for the Lord.
Bailey said he always went to church when he lived at home, which is why he spoke up when he noticed something about the chapel schedule.
“They had devotion on Monday through Friday, but they didn’t have anything on Sunday,” Bailey said. “I went to Activities, and I said, ‘Could I have a church service on Sunday?’”
The response?
“Oh, loved it. Yes. Love the idea,” Adam recalled. “I think any opportunity we have to serve others, especially in that way, absolutely.”
Bailey’s congregation varies in size from week to week. But his passion remains steady.
“It has to be important to you,” he said. “If it wasn’t important to me, then having only one or two people, I’d quit having it.”
His favorite part is pretty consistent, too.
“I like the music,” Bailey said. “‘Abide with Me.’ I like that one.”
“I so enjoy hearing him,” Adam added. “He’ll hum the beautiful old hymns that he’s familiar with as he comes down the hallway.”
‘It’s coming from the heart’
Bailey’s ministry is an opportunity for him to share what’s important to him with others.
“Without my faith, I don’t even know if I’d be here,” he said.
“It’s coming from the heart,” Adam added.
Bailey’s heart brings a unique spirit to Ottumwa.
“The foundation of our organization shines through each and every individual who lives here or provides care here,” Adam said. “You can see the light. You can feel it whenever you walk in the door. The culture here is beautiful.”
It also makes it a special place to call home.
“You can’t describe what it is until you’ve seen it,” Adam said. “I wish I could put into words the beauty that that’s here and I just, I can’t put it into words. You just have to come and see for yourself.”
Learn more
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- Retired music director helps to unlock forgotten feelings
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Posted In Community, Senior Services
