Travel north on SR 49 until you come to the “Top of Ohio”, the village of Edgerton. Edgerton is sprinkled with small business and agriculture, shops and a granary, industry and the railroad. Among the shops in the downtown district is a new arrival with a unique foundation. This new arrival is Joyful Words & Gifts – and it is a business with a mission.
Their mission is the following:
Serving women in crisis through the power and love of Jesus Christ by providing a house of refuge for a time of rest, healing and renewal in the Williams County area.
Serve them in-house and also be a connection point for them to receive further help by providing a list of ministries, medical professionals, and other services in the tri-state area.
Matching this mission is their Vision:
To see when transformed and restored to wholeness in all areas of life through the power and love of Jesus Christ. All women are welcome regardless of personal faith and beliefs.
The board of directors for Joyful Bird Ministries began discussing the idea of raising funds to build a respite home for women who need a please to receive rest, healing and renewal in 2016. This is how Joyful Words & Gifts was born.
Joyful Words & Gifts, a 501c3 non profit organization, opened its doors in June 2018 to fulfill the fundraising efforts to build a home for women who need a little extra help, like Tara Stiver did. She is the president and overseer of Joyful Bird Ministries. “I had four personal bouts of postpartum psychosis,” commented Stiver. This made founding this ministry even more important to her and the board of directs that subsequently assembled. This board of directors is a diverse group of community members who all understand the need for such a ministry in Edgerton. Joyful Words & Gifts offers a wide selection of inspirational books, bibles, journals, hand crafted jewelry, home decor, soaps & bath bombs, and other homemade and unique gifts. Most all of the items in the store are there on consignment from local people and their owners give a portion of their proceeds to fund Joy’s House.
Joy’s House will be built in Edgerton as a short term (1-4 weeks) respite home that will provide the needed rest, healing & renewal with christian counseling, art therapy, massage therapy, whole organic meals, prayer times, and connection with medical professionals if necessary. The directors’ plan is to also help homeless women by connecting them with other social service agencies. The board has a goal of 2020 in mind for purchasing the land for Joy’s House. This is all contingent on their fundraising efforts through ministries such as Joyful Words & Gifts.
Joyful Words & Gifts is located at 138 N Michigan Ave., Edgerton, OH 43517. Hours are as follows: Thursday and Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. For more information, please contact them at 567-239-2264 or email joyfulbirdministries@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page – Joyful Words & Gifts.
