CHICAGO, IL (September 24, 2007) – It would be 50 years and a world away before these two high school best friends would meet again – and it would be a Covenant connection that made it happen.
Sylvia Hamblin and Nancy Bergmans (now Reed) were best friends at San Ramon Valley Union High School in Danville, California.
Sylvia (at left in photo) was married and had three children. In later years she studied to be a speech therapist and currently works in the public schools in the Danville area. Nancy, meanwhile, married Jerry Reed and they, too, had three children. Following university (and seminary for Jerry), the couple went to Ecuador and Mexico as Covenant missionaries. Nancy later served with the Department of World Mission and Jerry with North Park Theological Seminary. When they retired in 2004, they went to La Coruña, Spain as short-term missionaries.
While looking through some papers one particular day, Sylvia found an old Covenant missionary prayer card and contacted Nancy. But, the Covenant connections had only begun.
Sylvia recalls that she was selling a sofa, and the buyer commented on how much he liked Hillside Covenant Church in Walnut Creek, California. That interested Sylvia – she remembers thinking that she might attend Hillside someday. Then, a co-worker also told her about Hillside Covenant. One connection? Coincidence, perhaps. But, two? She knew she had to go.
Sylvia says she loved Hillside Covenant Church where Jeff Reed (the Reeds’ nephew) was the pastor. She joined the church and was looking for ways to become involved. That’s when she learned from Nancy about a Hillside Covenant Church mission trip to La Coruña – she was set to go.
“What a happy day to connect again after fifty years!” Nancy says. “And how wonderful to be a part of the Covenant Church that served as that connection!”
These reconnected best friends will be together once again when they join other classmates during their 50-year high school reunion September 29 in Danville.
