When was the last time you ran to your mailbox and opened an honest-to-goodness, old-fashioned card?  The kind that used to house personalized sentiments and possibly a little spending money, the kind you kept in a box for years to come and sometimes looked back at with a smile on your face longing to spend time with the person who sent it to you. 

 

Digital cards just aren’t the same.  They dance on a screen, create a smile and then blend into the blur of other digital messages.  But cards, the kind you can hold in your hand, are reminiscent of war heroes and lovers, of long distance family members and celebrations, of encouragement and delivering so much more than just a smile. Cards create tangible memories.

 

For Bridgeport resident Eva Conner, they are also a ministry.  Although she has always loved crafts, she began making handmade cards in 2012 and selling them locally to family and friends.  Most of her cards are scripture-based and in the past few months, she has sold or given away over 500 cards.  Last year, she started creating the cards digitally and printing them in order to expand her line and make the cards accessible to more people. Last fall, she opened an Etsy store called Share In God’s Grace…One Card at a Time.  (www.etsy.com/shop/ShareInGodsGrace)   She offers cards for all occasions, with unique personalized designs.

 

A few years prior to launching her line of cards, the 1987 BHS graduate also started on another spiritual journey.  While recovering from surgery, Conner happened upon a television show where a man was teaching the Bible verse by verse, making it applicable to modern life and changing how she experienced the Bible. 

 

In 2012, Conner felt that she was being called to become a teacher of God’s word.  Intimidated by the calling and feeling as though she were not knowledgeable enough, she started a blog instead and prayed that God would use her to help others understand the Bible.  When she joined a Bridgeport United Methodist Church Bible study group, led by Jill Steele, she found her voice and also found encouragement from like-minded women. 

 

“Studying on my own brought me textbook knowledge, but this group of women have shown me the power of fellowship and discipleship,” said Conner.

Never one to hesitate when God calls, Conner went on to start a weekly Bible study group in her home. 

 

“Everyone is welcome and we meet around the table each Tuesday evening,” she said.  “We pray for one another and encourage one another and I try to make the Bible lessons less intimidating and more relatable.”

 

Conner’s blog, From the Inside Out, can be found at www.evaconner.com.  She posts a verse and prayer daily and Bible studies at least twice a week.  Her following is growing and she now also leads an E-Circle at church. 

 

“We do not meet in person, but instead meet electronically online and share news and prayer concerns via email,” she said.  “This allows access to God’s grace and the support of others, regardless of the time or situation.”

 

Soon to be celebrating her 25^th Anniversary with husband Scott Conner, the couple will be encountering empty nest syndrome as the last of their three children graduates this year.  By remaining faithful and approaching each stage of life with prayer and obedience, Conner is seeing the fruits of her labor and faith continue to unfold.