Aug 26, 2014
Robe of Achievement
by Karen Payne
The Robe of Achievement Committee (Janet Butler, Marcy Kersten and Karen Payne) as part of the Women’s Board is pleased to announce that the choice for the 2014 recipient of the Robe of Achievement is Genny Pederson.
Genny Pederson was born in Milton Junction, WI and graduated from Milton Union High School. She was not raised in a Seventh Day Baptist family.
Since her marriage to her late husband, Loyal Pederson, her commitment to faith and family has been paramount. She has been actively involved in the Seventh Day Baptist Church in New Auburn, WI all her married life and has continued to be active there after she became a widow. Genny served as church president, vice-president, Sabbath School Superintendent and Secretary of the Women’s Society. Genny has also served as a deaconess at the New Auburn church since 1974. That’s 40 years!
Genny always wanted the church to go forward. Besides her involvement in Christian Education, her love for youth was evident by her involvement with foster kids (she had eight), foreign exchange students (she had four), leading 4-H, teaching and directing Vacation Bible School and Sabbath School, as well as raising her own six children. Genny was given the 4-H Leadership Achievement Recognition as a 4-H leader. Genny enjoyed being a member of the community choir. She also initiated and taught Bible studies at the assisted living and retirement home.
Genny rarely missed a church board meeting, planning meeting, or service. For that matter neither did her whole family. She found time to help her husband with the farm and sewed clothes for her children. When a newcomer arrived at her church, Genny was often the first person to greet them, invite them over for lunch and invite them back to church. The Pederson home was very often the hospitality place for guests at semi-annual meetings, SCSCers, pastors passing through, and other people in need of a place to say. The Pederson family attended many conference sessions and probably got to know most of the people in the denomination.
Genny has been unable to do all that she used to after she had a stroke. Although her limitations have slowed her down, they have not stopped her. A few years ago she studied and passed her written and road tests to obtain her driver’s license again. One of the places she drove to was an exercise class three times a week.
And, of course, she is still a faithful attender at church services, Bible studies, women’s meetings, etc.
When the Senior Saints issued a call for volunteers to help at the Dodge Center Church and Camp Joy projects, Genny and Loyal were there to answer the call. She even spent 10 days as a volunteer at the Rez Connection in South Dakota. SCSC was near and dear to her heart. Two of her children served in SCSC and she served as project director for the New Auburn church for 10 years.
Genny is a Type A personality who has never failed to speak her mind, but the speeches she gives always seem to be for the good of the church, community, or individual, not for her good. In fact there doesn’t appear to be a selfish bone in her body. She always backed up her speaking with service. To Genny, service is not something she does, it is something she is.
It is with great pleasure that we award the Robe of Achievement for 2014 to Genny Pederson.
The Robe of Achievement announced at Conference in 2013 was presented to Linda Van Horn Camenga at the South Atlantic Association Meetings in Titusville, Florida on November 2, 2013. Members of the previous Women’s Board made the presentation. Linda closed with reading Ephesians 2:8-10, her life verses: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.(NIV)
