Ever since 1981 when my father, Jim Neely, became the director of nursing for the Reformed Presbyterian Home in Pittsburgh, “the Home” has been an indelible part of my life—through childhood and teenage years, as a young adult, and even now as a member of the board of directors. The Home. That’s all we ever called it and it never needed further explanation. When we moved to Pittsburgh we lived above the Home on Maple Avenue. My mom would walk us down the very steep street called Burgess (it was cobblestone at that time).

I was only three or four but was allowed to wander around inside. I remember Dr. Robb, who had a candy dish always full of butterscotch candies (not my favorite, but they were all right). One lady kept trucks in the bottom drawer of her dresser. I would come into her room and she would let me play on the floor. I don’t remember being escorted through the halls. I guess my parents thought I was safe within the secure walls of the Home.

Within a year or so we moved to West View, a little farther from the Home. I remember the drive in our big old Pontiac station wagon, going back and forth from the Home. On one of those visits the receptionist gave me exactly 40 cents: a quarter, a dime and a nickel. I counted and recounted the money on our way home. The money was a nice treat, although I calculated that it was 5 cents short of what the soda pop machine required at the Home!

During these years Jennifer Weir (now Jennifer George) and I became best friends. Her family lived in a nice one-story house across from the Home. We made plenty of memories together: playing board games in her living room, attending Sunday school at Allegheny RPC where I met Jean Stiver and, of course, the juniors group with Rachel George. Only God knew then how I’d keep up this friendship with Jennifer for over 30 years, and how I’d get reacquainted with both Jean and Rachel through my activity on the Home’s board of directors.

In 1984 my father left the RP Home to become a nursing home administrator in Smethport, about three hours north of Pittsburgh. I was six when we moved but managed to keep in touch with Jennifer, and, as a family, we would always travel to the Home for its annual Donation Day. On that special day Jennifer and I would buy things from the Home’s gift shop and run around the Home like you’d expect young girls to do. We were wearing dresses, always, for those days.

When I was a teenager my family moved closer to the Pittsburgh area, and Jennifer and I managed to visit each other several times a year. I remember going to the Home to play pool on the second floor, play with the weights in the therapy room, and look for the cat, RP, who was always quite elusive to me. Jennifer was always very good with the staff and residents, and I admired her for that. I, on the other hand, was always quite shy next to her. That’s okay. My time would come.

When I visited the Weirs we always went to Allegheny RPC. I remember one time Jennifer counting her tithe for the offering. She was rich! From working at the Home her tithe was over $10. I had never thought of putting that much money in the offering plate. I guess that was my first lesson in tithing. On those visits to Allegheny, I got to see many familiar faces from the time my family worshiped there: Ken and Marjorie Sanderson, Mel and Marian Martin, Jim and Marilyn Roll, and Rachel George, to name a few. Those are all people I’d see again a number of years later.

I completed college and moved to Pittsburgh in 2001 to attend graduate school. One Monday when I didn’t have classes, I decided I should go to the Home and visit the Sandersons. Of course, Mrs. Sanderson was extremely warm and friendly to me and my daughter, Carla. We had a great visit and stayed for lunch. I also saw Mel and Marian Martin and a few seniors from Covenant Fellowship, the congregation I was now attending.

My visits to the Home in my latter twenties were intermittent. I had met Joel Butler, a seminary student at RPTS, in 2002, and sometimes he or one of his friends preached at the Home’s Sunday evening service. I remember going a few times and again seeing Mel and Marian and others from Covenant Fellowship. Joel and I married in 2005.

Then, one winter day in 2009 I received a call from Chris Welsh, a member of Covenant Fellowship and the admissions coordinator at the Home. She asked if I was interested in serving on its board of directors. Later I received a call from Sandra Johns, then president of the board. I had not met her before, but three years after that phone call I consider her a close friend.

When I arrived for my first board meeting I was warmly welcomed. There were many people on the board I already knew! We had a good first meeting, and I enjoyed meeting the board members and then visiting with residents upstairs for lunch.

Board meetings were rather routine for a while, but in the summer of 2010 we were hard at work finding a replacement for Faith Martin, executive director of the RP Woman’s Association, who had led the Home for 36 years in various capacities and was ready to retire. Faith was also an active member at Covenant Fellowship and we worked closely together there (I was the office manager who handled bills and deposits and she was the church treasurer. She also helped cook the meals for a kids program that Joel and I led on Tuesday nights). She would be a difficult person to replace because of her strong leadership, love of the residents, and incredible faith that together make her one of the strongest, dearest women I know.

It was a Sunday in August 2010 when I received a call from Sandra asking if I’d serve on the search committee to help find Faith’s replacement. I would meet with the committee early that week and received a few resumes by email.

One resume caught my eye. I read “Duncan.” Laura Duncan! She had worshiped at Covenant Fellowship while she completed a master’s degree in health administration from the University of Pittsburgh. Her resume was stunning and the committee decided she should be interviewed.

Laura was hired in December 2010. Since then there also have been some new faces on the board. I look forward to getting to know them as we work to protect the Home’s mission for another 115 years. Laura Duncan, Margie Hemphill and Bill Weir lead an incredible, Christ-centered organization dedicated to providing top-quality care for our parents and grandparents. I know it is no easy task.

Recently I was at the Home to complete some paperwork for the board, and I took my young sons, Ben and Charlie, to Robin’s Nest, the day care center. They are no longer shy when visiting the center and ran right up the front steps. The staff is friendly, and I took a minute to sit on the floor with all the kids.

It was the same floor Jennifer and I played games on 30 years ago. The carpet is different and bookshelves have been added. The room I slept in with Jennifer is now filled with cribs. For God’s own purposes, He has chosen to keep the Home in my life through the years. I pray that my memories of the Home only increase, and that one day, many years from now, I will have a special candy dish in my room at the Home for kids who come by. It just won’t have butterscotch.

The Garden of Faith In early 2012, The Pittsburgh Foundation awarded the RPWA $72,000 for the construction of our therapeutic garden, the Garden of Faith. In April, we received an additional $7,500 from the Buhl Foundation. These monies, along with the funds we have already received from our donors, will transform our currently unusable courtyard into a beautiful, sheltered area for residents. Please continue to keep the Garden of Faith in your prayers, from the permit approval process, to the construction workers, and our operations as we work around the logistics of construction. Go to www.rphome.org for the latest news on our garden!

Autumn is on the board of directors of the Reformed Presbyterian Woman’s Association. She is a member of Covenant Fellowship (Wilkinsburg, Pa.) RPC. An RP Home feature appears semiannually in the Witness.