Introducing Pam Kamrath – LWML 2017 Woman of the Year

 St. Luke Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML) has selected Pam Kamrath as its 2017 Woman of the Year! Pam will be honored for her 10 years of dedication to the Special Needs ministry at St. Luke. Pam graciously answered a few questions for us about her life, ministry, and what is coming up next.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your faith background.

I became a Christian at age 20. I came from a non church home and drawn to Jesus by a high school friend and my husband. My love for Jesus shone through in wanting to always “do” for others.  Acts of service is my gift and it showed through later in life when I took a job in a group home. I knew that it was going to be a huge leap for me and before I interviewed for the job I prayed that the Lord would show me if it was something I could do.  I walked through the group home and met the individuals who lived there and learned what my job would look like.  I was overwhelmed with love for these individuals who needed so much more than most of us. My eyes welled up with tears and I knew that this was something God wanted me to do. I did get that job and it was the beginning of my love for working with people with disabilities.

I worked in that group home for 6 months and then we moved to Ann Arbor where I got a job within the WISD (Washtenaw Intermediate School District) I worked at High Point School where I worked with children who had severe disabilities. There my love for individuals with special needs grew.  My love for them came naturally as I daily cared for and worked with the children to accomplish even the simplest tasks many of us take for granted. I knew this was another gift God had given me as this is not a comfortable role to be in.  Many came and went out of their lives but I stayed on until my back could no longer take all the lifts and physical part of the job. After 8 years I retired and poured my passion for those with special needs into the Special Needs Ministry at St. Luke.

We became members at St. Luke in 2001 and volunteering within the special needs ministry was an easy fit for me. I spent a couple of years on the steering committee and then launched the “Parent’s Night Out” program.  I saw first hand while working at the school the need for parents to get a night out and some breaks now and then from the rigorous and demanding life they led. We started the program Nov. of 2006.  It ran on the first Friday night of every month Oct. – June for the next 10 years. Parents dropped their kids off (siblings included) from 6-9 p.m. while we ran activities that kept them safe and happy until their parents returned. We began with just the families here at St. Luke that had children with special needs.

After the first year we told these families to invite others they knew had a need as well. I also contacted the families at the school and in the classroom I taught in as I was still working at the time when this program began. A few of them came, a little hesitant at first and then became quite comfortable also telling others of this amazing program that they were taking part in. Soon our few families grew to over 30. We went from only having 4-6 children to putting a limit of 30 children on a given night. By the time we stopped the program we had a waiting list nearly every night.

The impact of the PNO program was huge on the lives of the families.  I saw marriages mended and parents refreshed after a night out.  Their children began to look forward to “St. Luke’s” as they called us, as a night of fun away from mom and dad.  One young lady used to say: “bye” to her parents the moment they walked her into the doors. I would have to say though that the biggest influence came on behalf of the volunteers.  Most were college students with no background or knowledge of working with kids who had special needs.  They came willingly and came back again and again loving on these kids.  We ended every night by telling the volunteers what a blessing they were to the families and what a difference they made in their lives. These children drew love out of the volunteers they never knew they had for others.  God’s love. The Holy Spirit was alive in these evenings, present and real. These young adults felt it.  Many were changed and expressed this was their best volunteer experience.

I think it is important to recognize when God sets a time limit on something and the season has ended.  It’s like feeling that cool autumn breeze that reminds you that summer is truly over and winter is on it’s way.