No matter what direction your life takes, or whatever journey you are on today, someone has likely travelled that same road before you. They know the turns, the rough spots and the smooth places; therefore, because they’ve been there, they know exactly what you need for your journey. I’ve heard it said that those that go before us constitute a built-in mentor system. It is wise then to learn from experienced travelers. I had a chance to sit down with one.
This is a story about a journey in the life of a teacher. The distance traveled was short if you measure it in miles. In fact, it only goes as far as Athens. But if you measure it in depth, Kay Thompson is a seasoned traveler. Her journey began like I said, in Athens Alabama, where she was born as Katherine Kennemer.
Church and prayer were integral parts of Kay’s life growing up. Her parents spent a lot of time praying, and back then, there was much to pray about. They had seven children; five boys and two girls. Kay was the youngest. All five of her brothers were in the military during WWII and the Korean War. One of them was reported missing in action after flying a mission over the English Channel, and he never returned. As you can imagine, the family spent a lot of time praying for their boys.
Kay remembers her mother kneeling by the bed at night praying, and credits her mother for the prayer life she has today. “I always knew the Lord,” Kay said, “I’ve been in the Bible all my life and I just always knew He was there. When I was six years old, I joined the church. At the time, that was unheard of, but it was something I had to do. It’s so funny,” she said, “when you look back over your life, you realize how God has been preparing you for all of this, but at the time you didn’t think about it.”
Kay graduated from Athens High School. “My journey has not taken me very far,” she said, “The only time I’ve lived anywhere else was when I went to Birmingham Southern College. Kay Kennemer met a young man named Frank Thompson and they dated during the four years he was in college at UA. When he graduated in 1958, they got married, and in 1962 they moved to Monrovia to help Frank’s mother with the farm, since she was a widow.
Frank worked as an Industrial Engineer, but if he’d done what he loved, he would have been a farmer. According to Kay, Frank loves the Lord, his grandchildren, farming, fishing, and sports.
In 1972, after her two daughters (Kathy and Beth) entered school, Kay went on to receive a Bachelors Degree in English from UAH, with a minor in Elementary Education. When she graduated, she worked at Monrovia Elementary as a teacher.
In 1986, after 14 years of teaching school, Kay closed her last text book, graded her last paper and erased her last chalkboard. She retired. Her teaching days were over…she thought. She took a job in an electronic sales office in 1987, where she worked full-time for awhile and then went part-time. During her time at the sales office, in 1992, Kay had major back surgery. She had rods put in her back to help straighten her spine. She continued working at the office until 1995, when she retired for the second time.
During those years, church and prayer were still an integral part of her life. “In 1987, while studying the book of John in my ladies Sunday School class, the Holy Spirit became real to me for the first time. The ladies decided to meet on Saturday to talk more about what we were studying, and it was so exciting to me. This was when someone suggested that we have some time outside class to delve into Bible study in a deeper way. So I enlisted our pastor’s wife, Vera Hogan, to help me plan a ladies retreat for ladies of all ages as I had never been on one. We had such a wonderful time that I planned them for about the next four years, before WMU began to have one nearly every year. Nothing was any better than being in the Word together with those ladies.”
In 1995, when Kay stopped working at the office, she went to a WMU retreat at Wheeler Lodge. “I had prayed for the Lord to use me in some way in retirement,” she said. The group at the retreat had a wonderful time. When it was over and they were leaving, someone said; “We don’t have to come over here to do this, we could do this at our church.” “Right then,” Kay said, “That idea struck me. The Lord just pierced my heart with it. It was almost like a physical stab, and I knew that it was something I was supposed to do. I knew I had to teach ladies Bible classes.”
“I knew nothing about ladies Bible studies. I didn’t even know they had them, but I saw an advertisement for one at a church, and the idea grabbed me, I thought; “Oh, that’s got to be wonderful!” She talked to Doris McMichael about it and Doris said; “Kay, if the Lord is onto you, He’s not going to let you alone until you do it.”
That year, at the church’s New Year’s evening service, Pastor McMichael passed the microphone for people to share their resolutions. Kay thought; I’m going to say it, and once I say it, I’ll have to do it, so when the microphone came to her, she said she would teach a ladies Bible study that year.
Trudy Graham called her and recommended they do Experiencing God , Kay agreed, and they did. So on a January morning in 1996, eight women gathered around a table and launched the Tuesday Morning Ladies Bible Study, which became the official name. There were no videos, they just talked, and they loved it….. and Kay, our retired teacher, was teaching once again.
“I led classes year around and even tried to have babysitters in the summers at first, but after several years, settled into following the public school calendar and having no studies in the summer. I think there have been thirty something classes and for several of them the enrollment grew to over forty women of all ages from our church, and from other churches. This went on for eleven years until Jennifer Devlin blessed us by teaching the book she had written in the Following God series in Jan 1997. She organized Women of Zion that Fall with several choices of classes. She was able to involve more teachers which was a wonderful opportunity to reach more ladies for our growing church. Jennifer’s organizational skills gave her a vision for the church to grow into a broader women’s ministry.”
“The greatest thing the Lord ever asked me to do was to lead the ladies Bible study,” Kay said. “I spent countless hours in the Bible studying for this, and got a lot of support from Frank. He has been my strength, I could not have done this without him.”
“Having other women in the class is where the joy came in,” she said. “There was always a discussion; we learned so much from each other, and that is where the joy comes in and that is where the joy has been.”
Philippians 4:6-7 are two verses that meant a lot Kay during her recovery from back surgery. The fourteen hours of surgery left her lying still for a long time. During that time these words ministered to her; Be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
She reached for her Bible while we talked, and found this verse, and read it to me. “John 15:5 says; I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. “It’s one of my favorite verses,” she said. Then she quoted it again, this time a little slower, emphasizing the words apart from me. “The Bible just speaks to you every which-a-way,” she said, “There’s just no end to it. There’s so much in there. God is so good. Those words (God is so good) are already on my tombstone in Mt Zion cemetery, and it is certainly true in my life.”
Well, as you can imagine, after sitting down with this woman for an afternoon, I realized that she was a picture of what it looks like to grow in the grace of our Lord.
This has been a look at Kay’s journey. It began in Athens and took her all the way to Monrovia. As Christians, our journey is not measured in distance, but in the difference we make in the lives of those we meet for Jesus Christ. Kay and the group of ladies, who helped start our ladies ministries, are like the verse in Proverbs (6:23), they serve as “A lamp to light the way ahead of you.”
So to those of you, like Kay, who stepped out of your comfort zone to teach and mentor….Thank you. Your faithfulness has borne much fruit. He who abides in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing.
We finished our conversation and Kay said a prayer. Later I contacted some people who knew her and gave them the opportunity to offer a comment on how Kay influenced their life. Many of you could write long passages here, I know, but I’ve included only a few in case you haven’t met her.
Below are some of your comments about Kay.
My Mother has always loved the Lord and tried to know him and serve him. She is not one to be the center of attention or in charge of any situation but she just felt compelled to serve him in the way of Bible study. My Mom just knew how to put God at the center because that is how she lives her life. As my children say, Grandmother is the holiest person they know.” Kathy King (Kay’s daughter)
“My mother’s story is amazing. She started the Ladies Bible Study here and was real nervous about it at first, but God would not leave her alone and she did it, even after major back surgery.” Beth Smith (Kay’s daughter)
“If I had one word to describe Kay Thompson, it would be “Encourager”. Kay is my Sunday School Teacher, Women’s Bible Studies Leader, role model, and friend. She always looks for the good in people and never fails to point it out to others in the group. One special thing she does is ask others in the group to tell something good about another person there – no one is left out. I was so lifted up the first time the class did this small thing and it continues to bless me,” June Bennett
“Kay approached me about starting another Ladies Sunday School class, due to growth of our class. I never taught Sunday School and I said if she would help mentor me in teaching I would love to, but worried that I was not capable of being an effective teacher. But with much prayer and Kay’s support, we are in our 4th year together. I have learned so much from her teaching of God’s word and her gift of presenting the lesson with knowledge, ease and love of the Lord. I have been truly blessed by crossing paths with Kay Thompson.” Linda Berry
Kay is a wonderful example of what it means to be a servant leader. From her heart for prayer, to her dedication to teach Sunday school and women’s Bible studies, Kay has impacted many, many people with the love of Jesus Christ. She is a very special friend! Jennifer Devlin
“I’ve taken lots of her studies. She didn’t put her “two cents worth” in much, but when she did, everyone listened. She taught with stories. She has had an impact on the ladies of our church that we will never see this side of Heaven.” Cathy Pemberton
