HomeThis page will acquaint you with the members of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Clermont, Florida. We are young and old, thin and fat, good looking and ugly, rich and poor -- but we share a love of Jesus Christ.
Do You Know Her?
Virginia is a long-time member of Shepherd of the Hills. She has witnessed the growth of our church from just a few families to our present size. She also worshipped in four separate locations. "Miss Virginia" has contributed an invaluable service to the church by assembling hundreds of pictures and articles in scrapbooks and compiling an extensive church history.
Virginia's long-time service to the church was recognized when the "Virginia Circle" (women's group) was named for her.
Without her dedication, we would not have the details of our history we enjoy today. Thank you ... Miss Virginia!
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Locks of Love | ||
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This story is an example of how God uses us to change the world. Locks of Love started with
an idea in 1997 to help children with hair loss. In March 2004, Opra Winfrey shared this
charity with her television audience. In March 2004, Aimee saw the Opra Show and caught that
spark of an idea. “It was time for a short hairstyle, and I didn't want my hair to go to
waste”, Aimee shared. Others in our church have shared their stories of hair donation to
Locks of Love with her.
Children comprise over 80% of hair donors, making this a charity unique, because children have the opportunity to help other children. In March 2005, Elizabeth wanted to cut her long hair. She searched the Web and found the Locks of Love website. Her generous and personal giving of self [her hair] helped to restore self-esteem and confidence to a child with hair loss. By reaching out to others, Elizabeth blessed a child in need of hair. For over a year, she [now age 5 years] had been asking to cut her hair to give to donate. Since age 4 years, Mackenzie began and kept asking to cut her hair and give it to a child without hair. Mackenzie finally underwent her own hairstyle transformation to a short hairstyle and donated her hair to Locks of Love. Mackenzie's beautiful ringlet curls was made into a hairpiece and given to child in need. Locks of Love is a not-for-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 with medical hair loss. These custom-fitted hair prosthetics are provided free of charge or on a sliding scale to children whose families meet the Locks of Love Board of Directors guidelines. Donors provide the hair, volunteers staff the office and the manufacturer hand-assembles each piece, which requires approximately four months. . The hairpieces provided help to restore self-esteem and confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers. | ||
Tunila Award
Geraldine Constance Tunila was born on March 20, 1964 and died on October 19, 1975. Gerrie was born with Cystic Fibrosis, for which to this date, there is no cure. Life is very difficult and complicated for these patients. They require a tremendous amount of daily care and medicine just to try to lead a near normal life, but by no means a normal life as you or I would know it.
Geraldine Tunila
Gerrie knew from a very young age that this disease was going to kill her, but as long as we were straight-forward with her she could handle it. Because she knew, at a young age, that she would not have a normal life span, we tried to let her experience as much of life as possible. She had this enormous gust to experience as much as possible, Church, Sunday School, Girl Scouts, dancing, camping, traveling, playing the flute, etc. I believe she became closest to Church in confirmation because learning about Jesus even as a youngster, gave her comfort and I think she learned through this exposure that she was going to have an afterlife without pain and suffering.
After she died, my husband and I decided what better way to honor her memory than to maintain a perpetual confirmation award to young people like her, reading their way for life through Christian understanding. Therefore, we decided that the award should consist of a monetary amount to be awarded to the confirmation class member for a writing essay. The topic is to be decided by the Pastor and he will have final say as to content and ultimate first place paper.
Since my husband is now with Gerrie and Shepherd of the Hills is now my church, it is my intention to carry on this award.
-- Contributed by Bert Tunila
Recipients of the Tunila Award
2002 Sara Nell Tiley
2003 Skyler Goldman
2004 Jessica Fulmer
2005 Tyler Johnson
2006 Karissa Bursey
MEMBER PROFILE |
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| Carroll is active in leadership positions at Shepherd of the Hills
Lutheran Church; leader and co-leader of the last 2 capital fund drives; in 2004 &
2006 elected to Church Council Vice-President. In the spring of 2006, when then
President Rick Engleking was unable to continue in his position, Carroll graciously
agreed to assume the position of Church Council President.
Barbara & Carroll have been married over 50 years with 4 grown children and many grandchildren. They live in Clermont. He has been self-employed since 1953. Those semi tractor trailers with the CF logo belong to a U.S. trucking company with 30 branches. The Corporation headquarters is in Groveland, where Carroll is Chairman of the Board. Active in public service, Carroll has served with the Boy Scouts, Orange County Zoning & Planning Board in Orlando, City of Orlando Naval Training Center Re-Use Committee, on the Board of Orlando General Hospital, member of City Advisory Board/Am South Bank. He has also been active with religious organizations; past president of Church council and member of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church of Orlando, Past Chairman of the Board and Member of Orlando Lutheran Towers Retirement & Nursing Home, Board of Visitors & Trustees Capital Funds Committee of Lutheran Theological/Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina; and 2 capital fund drives & Church Council President/Vice President at Shepherd of the Hills. | |