Mel and Dottie Hathaway
The HSC Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Mel and Dottie Hathawy have accepted the invitation to return as Hosts for the 2023-2024 SOOP season. Applications were received from several very qualified couples and individuals. The Hathaway’s have committed to arrive in the fall which will allow the SOOP voluntary service program to operate from November 8 through December 15 and January through March.
The Hathaway’s are from Dalton, Ohio where Mel has recently stepped down as the Pastor at Sonnenberg Mennonite Church in Kidron where he has served since 2009. Prior to serving at Sonnenberg, Mel pastored at Salem Mennonite Church in Elida, Ohio. Before his nearly 30 years serving as a pastor, Mel owned and operated Hathaway Construction. Mel’s service experience includes assignments with Mennonite Disaster Service, serving 6 weeks as a volunteer at Nazareth Village in Nazareth, Israel and cross-cultural experiences in Mexico and Argentina.
Dottie is a retired registered nurse who did clinical practice in a variety of settings and specialties as well as spending a significant part of her career as a nurse educator for 35 years. In addition to serving and supporting Mel’s ministry at Sonnenberg Mennonite Church, Dottie has served in a number of cross cultural settings including Belize for 3 months during SST with Goshen College, working as a nurse at Huerfano Memorial Hospital in Walsenburg, Colorado for 2 years, which was administered by Mennonite Board of Missions at that time. She also supervised nursing students from Hesston College at a hospital in Tuba City, Arizona working with Navajo and Hopi staff and patients. Dottie also volunteered for 6 weeks at Nazareth Village in Nazareth, Israel and more recently has been a volunteer cashier at MCC Connections Thrift Store in Kidron.
We are pleased to have Mel and Dottie retrun as our hosts and trust that God will bless their work as they extend an Anabaptist witness in our community.
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Faith Community Nursing Director
Sheryl Shantz grew up in Hesston, Kansas as part of the Hesston Inter-Mennonite Church. She attended 1 year at Grace Bible Institute before graduating with a diploma RN from Immanuel Hospital School of Nursing in Omaha, Nebraska. After working one year she returned to school at Eastern Mennonite University and received her BSN.
Wanting to become a better disciple of Christ, she came to the Phoenix area in 1977 to be part of the Discipleship Volintary Service program (VS) with Gene and Mary Herr. After VS she remained in the valley and worked as a public health nurse for Maricopa County for 19 years. Because her husband was transferred to Yuma, she worked for the Yuma County Public Health Services District. She returned to school at the University of Phoenix and completed her Family Nurse Practitioner degree in 2003. She worked for a local OB/GYN physician for four years before returning to Yuma County Public Health to organize and run the Family Planning/STD Clinic, retiring in 2013.
Sheryl has been married to Kim Shantz for 32 years. They have 2 married daughters and 3 grandchildren all living in the Phoenix area. Sheryl has been involved in community coalitions and committees during her career, has organized conferences and health fairs, been on church boards, played piano and taught Sunday School in churches, and many other activities. To be able to unite her faith and nursing in the Parish Nurse position seems like a “dream come true.”
Sheryl Shantz, RN, is volunteering as a Faith Community Nurse under the Hospitality Services Center. Faith Community Nursing believes in wholistic health where mental, physical, spiritual and emotional aspects of a person interact to cause wellness or illness. She visits people in homes, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, on the phone and in church.
Board of Directors
The HSC Board of Directors are responsible for the ongoing operation of the various ministries which includes the Guest House, SOOP program, Home Repair, and Faith Community Nursing. The Board is also responsible for policies and procedures that affect the daily programs.
The Board members are Jay Shetler; President, Janeth Duncan, Jeannette Slater; Secretary, Peter Wiebe, Sheryl Shantz, Cheryl Paulovich, , Marlin Hershberger; Treasurer, Marcia Swartz, Grant Nebel.