Hilda Stewart – Founding Director

As the Founding Director and visionary for Cheerful Hearts, Hilda has held tight to the vision of this ministry in 2005 as an inclusive, healing place of rest and restoration.

Hilda develops and oversees the ministries, activities, and events at Cheerful Hearts as well as serves the ministry team and clients as intercessor, advocate, and partner in faith. She and her most supportive husband Michael have 5 grown children and 12 precious grandchildren.

Before Cheerful Hearts Ministry was birthed, Hilda worked in early intervention (birth to 5-year-old children with special needs) and was the founding director in 1992 of a preschool that served normally developing children as well as those with developmental delays in conjunction with the county school system; it is alive and well today.

She earned a BA in Psychology, MA in Pastoral Ministry from Erskine Theological Seminary, and is pursuing her Doctorate currently. As a life-long learner Hilda has completed many classes,
trainings, and programs to learn as much as she can to serve other women faithfully. She served as a pastor in a mainline denomination for a season before God called her to begin Cheerful Hearts in 2005.

As with many founding of ministries, Cheerful Hearts was birthed from God’s presence in her life overcoming personal hardship. Hilda became physically ill to the point of medical disability. Jesus responded to her cries for healing by leading her on a path that resulted in her own health restoration, but also in a ministry to women, ages 12-112. Hilda said yes to Jesus’ invitation to come on an adventure with Him, and it has been quite an adventure.

Cheerful Hearts delves into deep issues of the heart, whether individually or on retreat with 12 or less women in attendance. Cheerful Hearts has welcomed thousands of ladies through the years of journeying together to the feet of Jesus through small groups, individual prayer ministry, and retreats.

Hilda has been active for almost three decades in developing and leading weekend and one-day
retreats for women in personal homes, state parks, conventions centers, churches and wherever the Lord would lead her. It is a great joy for Hilda, to walk alongside other women who seek to find true peace and joy in her relationship with Christ.

Shelley Martin – Associate Director of Ministry

Training, teaching, and mentoring has been a regular part of Shelley’s life for twenty-five years. After graduating from Asbury Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity, Shelley spent most of her years serving the local church in student ministry before transitioning to women’s ministry. Having the heart of a revivalist, she is passionate about assisting women discover their unique identity. Her teaching style embodies a conversational story-telling flow, sprinkled with practical strategies for engaging God. As a retreat speaker, she is known for awakening women to everyday faith encounters. In the past, Shelley has led workshops and retreats around the topics of identity, healing, hearing God, and life with Holy Spirit.

As the newest one to join the CHM team, Shelley is excited to serve as chaplain, providing spiritual care and assisting in the area of content management for the ministry. Often described as “the real deal,” she brings a humorous spiritual awareness to the mundane.

Shelley and Ryan have been married for twenty-one years and treasure their three sons: Miles, Grady, and Callan. In her down time, Shelley enjoys painting acrylic landscapes and creating mixed media faith collages on wooden panels.

Deborah Williamson

Deborah stepped into the Cheerful Hearts adventure in 2006. After accepting an invitation to come and hear Hilda’s vision for a women’s ministry in the Eatonton area, Deborah said YES!  She continues her involvement to this day, scheduling and assisting in the individual ministry opportunities at CHM: Heart to Heart, Red Chair, and Luke 8.

Deborah understands debilitating fear, deep-seated unforgiveness, shame, and projecting blame onto others. She has grown, and is growing free to such an extent, if you had told her years ago this freedom was possible, she would not have believed it. She is a living testimony of God’s grace and restoration. And, if God did it for Deborah, He can and will do it for you!

Deborah and her husband Coleman have been married 45 years. Together, they have 6 children, 7 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren. Their quiver is full! They are enthralled and surprised by what God is doing in their latter years; welcoming others to encounter Jesus through silence, solitude, and rest on their 171 acres.

ministry@cheerfulheartsministry.org 

Juleen DuBois

Soon after moving to the Lake Oconee area, Juleen discovered Cheerful Hearts Ministry, and knew immediately it was a place she wanted to be involved with.  Juleen has a heart for seeing women healed, free and walking in the identity that Christ died for them to have. She has served the community by leading Small Groups at Cheerful Hearts in the past and currently assists with Individual Ministries that help women grow in all these areas..

When anyone meets Juleen it is obvious that her heart is filled with joy and spills out from her soul onto anyone in her presence. She is also a mighty prayer warrior for Cheerful Hearts or for anyone the Lord lays on her heart or calls on her to pray. She joyfully accepts this as an honor.

As an occupation, Juleen enjoys assisting employees and their families throughout the United States who must relocate due to a job change or transfer.  In her leisure time, Juleen enjoys worship music, hiking, crafting, visiting coffee shops and playing pickleball with her husband and friends. 

Lynne Bedsole

Lynne was introduced to Cheerful Hearts almost 10 years ago.  Through learning more about this ministry being blessed by several small groups, it wasn’t long before she knew she wanted to become a volunteer.

The more she learns about how this ministry is centered around Christ, the more she wants to be involved.  Through the years God has led her to help with many different aspects of ministry. Currently she performs the very needed and much appreciated Volunteer Coordinator. She coordinates the schedules and follows up with our volunteers regularly. She is a true treasure to us. 

Lynne & Jim, her husband of 43 years, make family time a priority with their daughters, son-in-laws and precious grandsons. She and Jim also enjoy boating, flying, and fellowship with friends. She is a dear friend of Cheerful Hearts.