Members of the Harbor of Hope cancer outreach ministry at Triad Baptist found a way to lift the spirits of others dealing with the disease and its effects this Christmas.

They delivered 24 gift bags to the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home in Winston-Salem Dec. 21 as part of their first Teddys from Triad outreach. Along with teddy bears, the canvas bags contained candy and other items and a promotional card for the ministry and Triad Baptist developed by Creative Communications Director Jeremy Chandler.

Tyler Corns, Terry Corns, Michelle Hailey, Mark Quinn, Diane Brown, and Diane Pearson prepare to distribute the Teddys from Triad gift bags at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home in Winston-Salem.

“Christmas is a joyous time of year for many of us, but there are also many that have real-life situations that suck the joy out of life,” said Terry Corns, a cancer survivor who founded the ministry with his wife, Kim, in January 2013.

“Some of our members got together came up with the idea to put gift bags together,” Corns added. “We went in with 24 bags and they had 23 patients.”

“Our goal in the outreach, which we hope to make an annual event and involve other Triad ministries, is to bring a smile, if even for a moment,” he said. “We want the recipients of the bears, snacks and other items to know that they are loved, and that someone cares about them at this most difficult time. We want to show them that Jesus loves them, and that Triad Baptist loves them.”

The special Bearavan of Harbor of Hope volunteers with the teddy bear-topped gift bags arrived Saturday morning at the Hospice Home and set up the bags in the Family Room. Hospice then alerted patients and families in the rooms. In the first 10 minutes, nearly 20 had come and picked up bags.

“One of the nurses came back and shared with us the response she received from one of the patients,” Corns said. “She said when she walked into the room, the patient was sitting there stroking the teddy bear’s head, eating candy, and smiling from ear to ear. It may have been only for a brief moment, but at least we were able to have a part in cheering up some people with some heavy burdens like this man.”

Harbor of Hope members filled 24 gift bags for the outreach project.

Added Kim Corns, “We went to be a blessing to others and ended up being blessed ourselves!”

Harbor of Hope meets 7 p.m. at Triad on the second Monday of every month in the Youth Room. Nearly 30 people attend the meetings which are open to anyone in the community and feature food, fellowship, music and an inspirational speaker. There are cancer survivors and their spouses, family of patients who died or have been affected by the disease, and medical professionals in Oncology.

Members support one another through prayer, emails, phone calls, visits, and cards.

“As we grow, and gain more experience, we are able to reach out to our community through Teddy’s for Triad and other ways,” Corns said. “We hope that through this gesture of kindness they will realize that Jesus also loves them, and that they can know Him personally.”

The Corns know cancer from both sides, as patient and caregiver. With an 18-month-old son and wife of nine years, Terry began his 29th year wondering about his future. Nine months earlier, what he’d thought was a hernia had turned out to be cancer, prompting a seemingly successful surgery and then radiation treatments to kill off any remaining cells in his lymph nodes. But a new problem soon emerged: cancer around his spinal cord that doctors couldn’t operate on.

Eventually, through what the Corns believe was God’s providence, Lance Armstrong’s doctor learned of his case, and guided the treatment at Forsyth Hospital—using the same powerful chemotherapy regimen against the spinal mass that rid the cyclist of his disease.

Each bag included a two-sided postcard promoting Harbor of Hope and Triad Baptist Church.

Through their own experience, the Corns have seen the truth of scripture like Psalm 46 come to life. The Lord has been their refuge in times of trouble. And because He has been found true, in the spirit of 2 Corinthians 1:4, they can now confidently comfort those with the same comfort they received from God.

“The chemo was brutal, but successful,” Corns said. “I’m very happy to say I am cancer free, and have been since September 1999. Our mission with Harbor of Hope is simple: to help others going through cancer. It could be the patient, the spouse of the patient, or the children but, from our experience, we know God has a plan. We want these people to know they are not alone. Others have made it, and, by the grace of God, they can too.”