Brenda Fox, a part-time Cook at Morning Pointe of Lenoir City, Tennessee, Assisted Living, has been in various forms of ministry throughout her life and has been involved in police chaplaincy for more than 23 years!
In the early 1980s, Brenda spent a little over a year as a hidden missionary in Upper Galilee in Israel, volunteering at a factory on a kibbutz making levels. Her specific job was to make the bubbles.
When Brenda returned to the States and married, she got involved with a radio program for a while sharing God’s word and praying for those who called in with requests after the program was off the air.
Brenda started volunteering in ministry at the Loudon County (TN) Jail in 1983. Prisoners were not allowed to have phones and were only allowed to make so many calls out, so Brenda often served as the one to make phone calls for them to loved ones. She would also go to court with them as oftentimes they didn’t have anyone to support them through the process.
She worked as a Nanny for a little while and was doing that when the jail personnel called her and asked if she wanted to be a Police Chaplain. Brenda said yes.
In 2000, Brenda joined several others from Loudon County who carpooled to Knoxville, Tennessee, to attend eight weeks of training. About the experience, she said: “I had to drive the cars. I had to shoot the guns. I learned a lot about meth.”
Brenda was the only woman in her graduating class and one of three who served as Police Chaplains.
As a Chaplain, Brenda would be on call for 72 hours at a time. Once she got a call, she would have a certain period of time to get to the scene and report to the Police Officer who was in charge, and they would tell her what to do based on their assessment of the situation.
Brenda primarily got calls when there was a fatality, although the situations she has responded to have been varied – from automobile accidents to overdoses to drownings. She is the one to help families deal with the initial shock of loss.
“It really hits people differently,” Brenda shared. “And you never know what you’re going to have to do or even if you can do it. Sometimes the Chaplain needs a Chaplain.”
Brenda remembered a time she was called to the hospital to be with a family whose newborn baby was being taken off life support. She prayed with the family and was there when the child passed away. That was a particularly hard case to be involved with.
“Your presence is what grieving people want,” Brenda said. “One person can do a lot. It’s so rewarding just to help somebody. I’m the last of my generation in my family, and I know how it feels to be alone. I try to listen to the families. No matter how long after an incident, I always had people come up and tell me just how much it meant that I helped that day.”
Brenda has done many funerals over the years too.
One she especially remembers was for a gentleman who passed away years after his single interaction with her. The man was not a believer, and his wife called Brenda and asked her to help answer his questions about God. They had a deep conversation about spiritual things, and Brenda left it at that.
Brenda was surprised that when the man passed, his request was she would be the one to do his eulogy. When she showed up to the service, the man’s mother came up to her and made it clear that she didn’t believe in woman preachers. However, when Brenda spoke and included funny memories that the man’s friends and family had shared with her, the mother ended up thanking her for her role in the service.
Brenda has scaled back on her involvement as a police chaplain but still helps out. She came to Morning Pointe of Lenoir City in June 2023.
“I love this job,” Brenda said. “I like the work, and I just love the clients.”
Brenda enjoys making items on the Always Available menu, as well as desserts.
“I do a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches,” she explained.
But Morning Pointe has become not just a place to work but also a place to visit.
“I always try to come to work 45 minutes to an hour early to visit the residents,” Brenda said. “We laugh and cut up. The Bible says, ‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine,’ and it’s true. There’s so much here that’s in me that I can minister through.”
Thank you for bringing your minister’s heart to bless our residents through your stories and visits, Brenda, as well as the food you prepare. We are so glad you are part of our Morning Pointe team!
