We ❤️ Wednesdays! It’s time for another Wednesday Spotlight and our star today is Jerry Scheider! If you’ve been around the Journey in the last few months we know you’ve seen both him and his lovely wife, Janet. They dove right into serving from the moment they joined our Journey family and we couldn’t be more blessed by all that they do. Please read on to get to know Jerry a little better today!
- How long have you been coming to The Journey? Janet (Jan for short) and I have been coming to The Journey for about 11 months. We love it!
- Where do you volunteer at The Journey? I serve on the Welcome Team. And I’ve done a few random things here and there.
- Where are you from? How long have you lived in TX? We have lived in Cedar Park for 30 years. We moved from Ohio but I’ve lived all over. East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, South, and Europe. My father was an Army officer so, in a way, I’m from everywhere.
- Please tell us about your family: Janet and I got married in college 48 years ago. We have 4 children ranging from 30 to 40 and 5 grandkiddos ranging from 1 to 9. And we are extremely blessed in that all of them live in the Austin area.
- What are some of your hobbies? I love to hike and we still tent camp. I like to take the kayak out. I have a large vegetable garden and enjoy the whole process although I am not particularly good at it. Lately, I have been intrigued with fermentation and have been trying a number of sauerkraut recipes. I like the health benefits and it’s a way of getting back to my Bavarian roots I guess.
- Favorite book? (besides the Bible!): “Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just” by Tim Keller. “On the Rez” by Ian Frazier. “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith.
- Favorite vacation you’ve taken? I’m thinking it was more of an adventure than a vacation. When I was 19 I saw a movie where the setting was the Rocky Mountains. I was living in Washington DC and had never been anywhere near there. I wanted to see them in person but didn’t own a car. So I hitchhiked. It was an amazing time. My only bad experiences were weather-related and a couple of extended times without getting a ride. This summer marks the 50th anniversary of my trip so I have half-thought of reliving it to a small degree by hitchhiking a portion of the route to see what happens. Jan and my daughters feel that I need to rethink this idea!
- Favorite movie? Dances with Wolves.
- Favorite meal? Homemade chicken pot pie. Also, Jan’s spaghetti sauce and meatballs. It’s a family recipe from Sicily. Half the enjoyment is that the house smells wonderful for hours as the sauce and meatballs simmer on the stove all day.
- Share an embarrassing or silly moment: In the early 80s I was working in a skyscraper in downtown Columbus Ohio and my office, on the 24th floor, had a wonderful view which included a portion of the old Ohio Penitentiary. The state was in the process of closing the prison and offered tours if you gathered a group yourself. I organized a group of 20-something folks from the office and we had a tour of the prison which still housed some inmates. Part of the tour included the prison library and the older guy who spoke to us there was dressed in casual business attire as we were. After giving us an explanation of the prison library he asked if there were any questions. No one had a question but since the guy was so helpful and passionate I thought up a quick question. I asked how long he had been there thinking the answer would be something along the line of “I’ve volunteered every Tuesday for X number of years and really enjoy helping the inmates.” Instead he tells us that he was a physician and had been in prison for going on 12 years for murdering his wife although he was actually innocent. It was a rather detailed and long answer. I wanted to slink away and hide behind one of the bookshelves. In my mind I’m thinking that everyone in the room must be thinking “What’s with this schmo? Who would ever ask such a question?”
- Name a secret talent you have To the amazement and delight of my grandchildren I have the ability to burp on command. They laugh as it seems to be the most wonderful thing they have heard but Jan, not so much!
Thank you for sharing with us today, Jerry! Next time you see Jerry and Janet around, be sure to say hi; we are so grateful for them!