From left, Betty Morrison, Meri Rieseck and Norma Brunermer go through Valentine's Day cards members of the church make for other members of the congregation who are shut-ins on Monday at Christ Outreach Church in Butler. Each parishioner unable to attend services receives between 10 and 15 cards.

Members of Christ Outreach Church are spreading love, one Valentine's Day card at a time.

“I think anyone of any age enjoys getting valentines,” said Norma Brunermer, who is in charge of the church's shut-in ministry. She coordinates visits and other activities for the homebound.

The church has been making Valentine's Day cards since it started to mail them to members of its congregation who are shut-ins.

Meri Rieseck of Cabot started having her Sunday school classes make Valentine's Day cards for shut-ins at North Main Street Church of God.

Rieseck left that church to help form Christ Outreach Church at 120 Walker Ave.

“We had a lot of people that we couldn't reach with the church service, so we started visitation to the shut-ins,” Rieseck said.

“Some like to make crafts, but the best part is to visit them and let them know there are people out there who care,” Brunermer said.

Each church member who is in a nursing home or unable to attend services is mailed anywhere from 10 to 15 cards for Valentine's Day.

“Usually we get thank-you letters from the ones that are still able to write and that makes it worthwhile,” said Betty Morrison, the secretary/receptionist at Christ Outreach.

The children's church members spend their Sunday school time making valentines by hand.

“If they can make it, it will be much better,” Rieseck said.

Members of the congregation take Valentine's Day cards, handmade or store-bought, to the church and place them in a large box.

On Monday, the box was sorted and the cards mailed.

“It's just nice looking in the mailbox and finding a card instead of bills or junk mail,” said Brunermer.

The church also has a card ministry that works to mail get-well cards and holiday cards.“We reach out to everybody, but we are supposed to reach out to our own,” Brunermer said.For some shut-ins, life can become very routine, according to Brunermer, so a special Valentine's Day card can be just what they need.“It's hard to realize how lonesome they might get if they are not able to get out,” said Rieseck.Rieseck, who now lives with her husband, Wilbert, at Concordia in Cabot, said it's important that everyone knows they are not only loved by God above.“We tell them they are loved from a person here on Earth,” Rieseck said.The church encourages each person who makes or purchases a valentine to pray for the person who receives it.“We all enjoy brightening their day,” Morrison said.

While some of the Valentine?s Day cards delivered are store-bought, many are handmade by the children of Christ Outreach Church. On Monday, the box containing all the cards was sorted and the Valentine?s Day cards were mailed.