Polly Heagle first came to Messiah Church when church member and fellow performer Lorie Hoekstra recruited her for the spring musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Polly and Lorie first met as members of the Sweet Adelines competitive women’s show chorus and have remained friends. Less than nine months after the first rehearsal of Joseph, as she sits in the church lobby to share her story, she welcomes everyone who enters by name and with a joy-filled wave and a smile.
“I showed up to the first event, and it was fun! Then JoyAnn asked us to pray… and that’s when I knew I was right where I needed to be,” Polly said. “As I got to know everyone, I watched the church members in the cast be so humbled, loving, accepting, and fun. They were real people…. This is how church should be.”
Polly had grown up going to church and frequently turned to Christ during difficult times in her life. She became a single mom at 17 and raised five kids while working as a personal banker, waitress and, currently, an office manager. She’s also remodeling a house and a property up north with her boyfriend, Jim – and she dedicates her time to many activities at Messiah Church, including acting as the MC for this summer’s Vacation Bible School.
Polly also leads the Worship Arts Team. “This is an amazing group of little Cinderella mice who don’t want anyone to know who they are – but they make the magic happen,” she said.
In addition to love for Jesus and appreciation for each person’s individual gifts, community outreach is one of the things that’s most important to Polly about Messiah. “They truly are the hands and feet of Jesus by being so involved in the community,” Polly said.
And the joy that is one of the many gifts Polly shares with Messiah Church? “I just love people,” she says. Throughout the many challenges that have come her way, Polly has remained optimistic, always seeing the good in people. “It’s what He has given me to get through the difficult times and run my race. Each person has their own special gifts,” she says.