Rejoicing in Our Present: Jeannette Louth
Born on September 7, 1924, Jeannette Louth celebrates her 100th birthday this weekend – half of the 200 years of the life of BBC.
Jeannette and her husband, Bill (who passed away in 2006), became members of BBC in December of 1997.
Through the years, Jeannette served as a Deacon and a leader of the Women’s Fellowship, organized years of the Women’s Christmas Communion Service, and continues to volunteer in the Flower Shoppe of the Holiday Fair.
As part of our planning for this year’s Bicentennial Celebration, Sharon Kautz and Nancy Wallroth interviewed her, and here are some of the stories she shared, beginning with sharing about her family home.
Jeannette’s home in Harwich has never been out of their family since her grandparents bought it in 1901, but her grandfather never lived there, as he was lost at sea on Thanksgiving Day of that year.
Jeannette shared that she has all the paperwork from that time, and a man named Caleb Chase of Harwich paid the mortgage for every widow in Harwich and Dennis whose husbands were lost at sea – her grandmother being one of them. Her $500 mortgage was taken care of by that one man’s generosity. Jeannette said, “The only reason I’d like to have money would be to give it away!”
When did you join Brewster Baptist?
1997. We had visited 13 churches in search of one. We were looking specifically for a church that had superior preaching, a good music program, and a solid outreach. We went to three different churches and finally settled on two: Brewster Baptist, and the Congregational church in Harwich Port. The pastor in Harwich Port was leaving, so we joined Brewster Baptist. My husband, Bill, was on the organ committee, which was his great passion. And I was doing something, but I was more interested in what Bill was doing because I really wanted to see him involved.
I really am very pleased with the church. I always have been and have always enjoyed it.
More than any church I’ve gone to, I have learned more about the Bible at Brewster Baptist.
I grew up Methodist rather than Baptist. Most of my family was Baptist, but I followed my sister, Emily, whose friends were all attending a Methodist church.
Mother didn’t care, as long as we went. But I have really felt very good about joining this Baptist church and I feel that God directed us here. It’s a wonderful church. You don’t feel that it’s “Baptist with a capital B.” You feel simply that it’s Christian. And that’s really one of the things I most like about it, is everybody is welcome.
How did the Women’s Communion Service come into being?
I don’t exactly know. I took it over after Bev Johnson, and she had done a splendid job.
I discovered that you could do whatever you wanted, and you could ask anybody you wanted to help, but people didn’t necessarily volunteer, and so you had to go after them.
It was something that I enjoyed for a while, and when I found myself out of ideas, I tried to modernize it so that it would make a little more sense to people.
I wrote the programming every year, and many of us participated. The thing that I always kept in mind was that Susie Sellitto loved taking part, so I always made sure there was a part for her.
Tell us about the bread that we make for the Women’s Communion Service every year.
My sister, who lived next door to me, was an extremely good cook. That’s what she had studied in college. She had studied home economics with the idea to teach. She was a member of St. Peter’s Lutheran church because my brother-in-law had said he would go to any church that she wanted to, as long as it was Lutheran. And while she was there, [she met] Pastor Shields who had the recipe for the communion bread. She found that it went way, way back in the Lutheran church.
And so, when Pastor Shields knew that Emily liked cooking, she suggested it to Emily, and Emily, being Emily, was delighted to make it most of the time. When they had communion, they would break it off for the person who was taking it.
We followed, at least in the Women’s Communion Service, right up until COVID. I think it’s very good and it’s easy to make. [Nancy Wallroth continues to make this bread for the Women’s Communion Service, and now for Maundy Thursday and Ash Wednesday, as well.]
Do you have any favorite memories of your time at Brewster Baptist?
Yes, I have a lot of them. And one of my favorites is Maundy Thursday. There is something about that service that really touches me, and I think I will go to church that night and Jen will take me. I would say that has been very important to me. And it’s mostly incidents with people there that have made life a lot more interesting than it could be. And special moments.
I love it when there’s a spectacular anthem. I just love the music, and I think Joe does a good job with it. He has been building the choir and I think they’re better. [Sharon: “It’s nice having such a multi-generational choir. For Mother’s Day, they had the children join in.”] I think that’s important to get more young people involved.
Do you feel over the years that a change has taken place? I know that Doug said that he feels that the church is becoming more vibrant.
I notice that, yes, newer people are coming. Yes, there is more vibrancy, and it is wider spread. I don’t know how you could come to the church and listen to the sermons and listen to the music and feel the friendship that emanates from it and not feel vibrant. For me, going to church on Sunday is the beginning of my week. It prepares me so that I’m ready to reach out and do something.
Anything else that you would like to add or say?
If I were 20 years younger, I would start a new group, and it would be a special visiting group.
My niece, Jenny, and I began our own kind of mission visiting old people regularly. We went to see Muffy Freedman once every other week, and we would kid her because she would say, “You’ll come back!”
We also visited my sister-in-law once a week in Middleborough to visit and bring her lunch, until she was ready for her nap.
I feel sorry for old people who don’t have an outlet and don’t have a willing chauffeur and people don’t feel they can ask you to drive. But I, of course, have a built-in chauffeur! [Nancy: “To me, I think it’s all the outreach you do that keeps you going strong, …your vibrancy.”]
You could perhaps start an “adopt a person committee”, or something like that. But at this stage in my life, I won’t design one. But it’s a good thought. You need to not just go and visit once, but you need to visit on a regular basis so that that person feels he or she really has somebody who cares.
Do you have any advice for the next 200 years?
Yes, somebody said to me, “What made you live so long?” I said, “Because I kept my sense of humor.”
I would tell everybody, if they take themselves with pinch of salt, stop thinking of yourself and think of others, you’ll be successful.
And I see people helping in the church, and I like to see that.
In closing the interview with Jeannette, Sharon Kautz shared with her, “You have always been a great encourager to everyone. You have a great gift of encouragement for people. You always make people feel good.” And Jeannette responded, “Thank you. Well, it’s probably my greatest love. I love people.”