25 Years of ministry to pastors’ wives

[Just Moved is celebrating 30 years of ministry! If you’ve been encouraged by Just Moved, we invite you to send us your story and let us know how the ministry, Susan Miller’s book, After the Boxes are Unpacked, and/or an After the Boxes Are Unpacked study group has blessed you. Your story will be included in a treasured collection at Just Moved Ministry. Email your story to [email protected] or mail your story to Just Moved Ministry, 8010 E Morgan Trl, #7, Scottsdale, AZ 85258.]

by Renee Gibbs

I was privileged to lead 35 After the Boxes Are Unpacked classes over 25 years (from 1998-2023) for women whose husbands were studying at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. Seminary life is hard. Many of the students have families to support, live in apartments, and often have limited financial resources.

The women moved here from all over the country and world and then moved again and again as their husbands served as Lutheran pastors.

This class helped them settle in and bond with others in their community — and to form friendships that last their lifetimes — even though, at the end of their seminary experience, they move to all corners of the U.S. and the world.

I always believed that happy seminary wives help make happy pastors’ wives. Many women shared that this class was the key to enjoying their years at the seminary. I was so blessed to get to know hundreds of women and to encourage them with Susan Miller’s love and wisdom. They loved me through cancer and other trials, as they did for each other.

These women filled my heart with such joy and connectedness and gave me friends for life, too. Now it’s a great joy for me to travel around the country to pastors’ wives’ retreats and to again see these dear women. Thank you for your ministry to the ladies and to me!