people in pew/jeanine hager

During the years Jeanine Hager has been a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau, she's done just about everything from teaching Sunday school to singing in the choir.

The church has been a vital part of Hager's life for the past 45 years. It's the place she met her husband, Harold. It's also where she began a teaching career in a first-grade classroom at the school.

But her current project is likely to take the most time and preparation. Hager is chair of a committee working on plans for the church's 150th anniversary celebration. Trinity will observe its anniversary in May 2003.

"It's been an eye-opener," she said of the work. Collecting stories, discovering pictures and hearing stories from long-time members has been just the beginning.

In the meantime, Hager and other members also are concerned with meeting the needs of families in the church and the community.

Through her work on the church's Board of Christian Care, Hager has been involved in mission projects with a global reach. "But we are just a small part of that," she said.

During Christmas, the children's Sunday school classes collected 91 pair of socks that were donated to Birthright. The socks were displayed on a "sock tree," which was decorated and displayed in the church.

Trinity "does such neat things for people," Hager said. "It's a loving congregation."

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If you know someone who should be featured in People in the pews, contact features editor Laura Johnston at 335-6611, extension 126 or e-mail her at ljohnston@semissourian.com.