Bettie Kaufmann – December 15, 1926 to February 21, 2019
In obedience to God’s calling and at age 68, Bettie started the Well House Jail Ministry in 1995, taking the love of Jesus to the women incarcerated in the Adams County Jail. As years passed, a need was found for the women leaving the jail and trying to start new lives in Christ. A new dream was given to Bettie and eventually the home at 701 Broadway Street in Quincy was a reality…a safe environment for women to live in while growing in their faith and abilities to make better life choices. In obedience to God’s calling and at age 68, Bettie started the Well House Jail Ministry in 1995, taking the love of Jesus to the women incarcerated in the Adams County Jail. As years passed, a need was found for the women leaving the jail and trying to start new lives in Christ. A new dream was given to Bettie and eventually the home at 701 Broadway Street in Quincy was a reality…a safe environment for women to live in while growing in their faith and abilities to make better life choices. In obedience to God’s calling and at age 68, Bettie started the Well House Jail Ministry in 1995, taking the love of Jesus to the women incarcerated in the Adams County Jail. As years passed, a need was found for the women leaving the jail and trying to start new lives in Christ. A new dream was given to Bettie and eventually the home at 701 Broadway Street in Quincy was a reality…a safe environment for women to live in while growing in their faith and abilities to make better life choices. Bettie had the gifts of teaching, hospitality, and leading. Her love of the Lord permeated everything she did. We in the ministry were invited into her home where we were treated as honored guests but at the same time cherished family. We were encouraged, taught, loved, and also held accountable while sitting around Bettie’s table or around her fireplace. She had a way about her that made you feel you were worth her time and effort. Her ministry wasn’t just for the ladies in the jail, but also for all of us on the team…the Board Members and the Jail Ministry members. Bettie was a spiritual mother to us. As we all worked together, she always kept us focused on God’s Word. Every time we were together, she shared a devotion she had prepared for us. Many times, she chose one word and then built her lesson around that word. When we met, there was always food involved, whether a meal or a sweet treat. There was something to share and eat together. Even when Bettie was cared for by Hospice, we still met at her home, and there were plates of little cookies set out for us. We will forever be extremely grateful to Bettie for her positive response to God’s call “you have never been to the jail” in 1995. Because of her devotion and leadership, countless lives have been changed…from felons to model citizens, reconciled marriages, families reunited…as these women have learned to walk with Jesus. In honor of Bettie, the ministries she started have continued and grown. In 2022, another home was added to help women with their transition journey from a life of crime to a life in Christ. Bettie’s prayers for the Well House continue to be answered! Thank you, God, for sending your servant Bettie…now a Saint with you!
Connie L. Williams – April 5, 1938 to December 31, 2021
We miss our passionate friend and Jail Ministry teammate Connie Williams. While reminiscing about Connie, a favorite character from our past came to mind. That person, although fictional, is Popeye, the Sailor Man, whose famous by-line depicts Connie quite vividly: “I am what I am and that’s all that I am.”
Connie was as genuine a person as you will ever meet. She shared the Gospel message with love and candor. Yes, she spoke frankly, mincing no words, but with the gentle love of a grandmother at the same time. There was no pretense in Connie.We smile as we remember her with highest esteem. We are all grateful to have known this humble, unassuming but valiant speaker of God’s truth; this bold and mighty little warrior who never wavered in her commitment to sharing God’s love with the ladies in the Adams County Jail. We are all blessed to have been in this ministry with Connie. She continues to inspire us as we remember our dear friend and the special times we had together. She frequently told the ladies with her sweet smile radiating out to them, “I may not ever see you again on this earth, but we will see each other again in heaven. And I look so forward to that.” That was the Connie we all miss and loved so dearly. We look forward to seeing you again in heaven and all the others you told you would see there!
Connie was as genuine a person as you will ever meet. She shared the Gospel message with love and candor. Yes, she spoke frankly, mincing no words, but with the gentle love of a grandmother at the same time. There was no pretense in Connie.We smile as we remember her with highest esteem. We are all grateful to have known this humble, unassuming but valiant speaker of God’s truth; this bold and mighty little warrior who never wavered in her commitment to sharing God’s love with the ladies in the Adams County Jail. We are all blessed to have been in this ministry with Connie. She continues to inspire us as we remember our dear friend and the special times we had together. She frequently told the ladies with her sweet smile radiating out to them, “I may not ever see you again on this earth, but we will see each other again in heaven. And I look so forward to that.” That was the Connie we all miss and loved so dearly. We look forward to seeing you again in heaven and all the others you told you would see there!