By Susan Shinn
sshinn@salisburypost.com
GRANITE QUARRY ó If the doors are open at Christiana Lutheran Church, Katherine Lyerly is probably there.
She’s lived across the street from her home congregation since 1950, and has served as Sunday school superintendent for more than 40 years.
She was “surprised and shocked” when the congregation honored her June 29, on her 88th birthday.
“I didn’t think Christiana church could keep a secret like that,” Lyerly says.
Especially when she’s so involved in church activities.
Not only is she Sunday school superintendent, she supervises the greeters and serves as leader of Circle No. 1. She’s helped with the Easter program and rally day and wrote and directed the Christmas program for many years. She’s in charge of the church’s prayer chain with more than two dozen members.
Yet she told her pastor she was undeserving of recognition because, really, she doesn’t do all that much.
The celebration for Lyerly took place before the service during Fifth Sunday Fellowship, a time when members can visit and get to know one another better, says the Rev. Carl Haynes. Sunday school classes take turns hosting the event, and the youth members decided they wanted to honor “Miss Katherine.”
Haynes admits it took him a few minutes to track down Lyerly once everyone was ready.
Lyerly checks each of the six youth Sunday school classes to make sure the teachers and assistants are there.
Then it’s on to prepare the bulletins for the morning service.
Even though Haynes sent some of the youth members to fetch Lyerly for the big surprise program awaiting her in the basement, she said, no, she couldn’t come right that minute, she was busy.
Finally, Haynes went to get her, telling her he needed everyone in the basement.
When they arrived, there were members galore, a beautiful cake, a huge banner and an oversized card signed by all of the children’s Sunday school classes ó and many adults, too.
“They just went all out,” Lyerly says.
Lyerly doesn’t remember who asked her to start helping with Sunday school.
“I did and I just kept it,” she says.
“We’re more than happy to let her keep doing it,” says member Amy Cozart. “She’d be hard to replace.”
Lyerly had a sister and two brothers. Her sister Lucille was a deaconess in the Lutheran church. Her brother J. Wilford was a minister. Her other brother, Jim, founded Lyerly Funeral Home.
With two siblings in church work, she says, “I decided to do what I could. I just started with it.””She’s the one that keeps behind the rest of the people to make sure things happen,” Haynes says. “She does a lot of behind-the-scenes work, too.”
“Miss Katherine is very reliable,” Cozart says. “If she tells you she’ll do something, she’ll do it.”
Lyerly works with 55 children from the cradle roll to high school.
“We have some wonderful, dedicated teachers,” she says. “It’s just a joy to work with the teachers and the children.”
Lyerly had to take a break for about a decade when her mother got sick. Since she’s returned, Brantley Lyerly, who is not a close relative, became co-superintendent at her request.
Her immediate family now includes her nephew Brent and his wife, Patti.
“Be sure and put in their little dog, B.J., who is my godson, whom I adore,” Lyerly says.
Her niece, Kathy Lyerly Davis, lives in Greensboro with husband, Jimmy, and daughters Laura and Leigh.
Her sister-in-law, Betty Lyerly Willis, lives in Mount Airy.
“And they were all in attendance at the party,” Cozart says.
Cozart’s younger daughter, Abby, wrote the script for the program to honor Lyerly.
Abby, 10, played the part of Lyerly, right down to wearing a vintage dress and glasses and carrying a pocketbook that the superintendent is never without.
Even though she’s amassed many years of service, Lyerly has no plans to scale back her volunteerism.
“I don’t read anywhere in the Bible that people retire from serving the Lord,” Haynes says.
“As long as they will have me, I’ll keep at it,” Lyerly says.