YOUR STORY MATTERS HERE: Ellen Phillips

By Jenny Monahan

Ellen Phillips is a prayer warrior.

She’s been one for a long time. Taking her inspiration from Matthew 6:6 to pray to the Father “in secret,” Ellen shared the following reflection in an issue of The Upper Room devotional back in 1978:

It is difficult in a busy day to find a place to pray. However, I have found that it is possible to pray in the midst of people and activity, without others being aware of my praying. My office overlooks a very busy boulevard which provides me an opportunity to see all the ambulances which come to the nearby hospital. I have learned, with God’s help, to pray in secret for those being transported to the hospital and for the safety of the people in the ambulance. While typing or adding columns of figures, I could still find time to pray.

Once this pattern was established, I then became aware that I could live in an “attitude of prayer,” constantly being in communication with God. We all carry this secret room within us. God directs and provides the place for us to pray in secret. (Ellen Phillips, published Feb. 24, 1978)

Some things have changed in the 43 years since Ellen wrote those words, but her “attitude of prayer” remains constant. Ellen is 83 years old and retired now. She prays often.

“I still practice secret prayer, as I live where I can see the medical helicopters taking off and landing all the time at UPMC, and I always pray for the patients and their caregivers,” Ellen said. “I pray at random when I’m out and about, for the people I see throughout the day. Sometimes I even pray for people when I’m talking to them, and they don’t even know it.”

An only child, Ellen was born in New Brighton, PA, and grew up just south of Pittsburgh in Dravosburg. She married later in life, at the age of 42.

Ellen has worn many professional hats, working at the G.C. Murphy home office in McKeesport, PA, as an administrative assistant, and for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in its Pittsburgh offices. Her favorite job, she said, was living and working at Glenn-Kildoo Funeral Home in Zelienople.

“I had the entire second floor as living quarters,” Ellen explained, “and was able to keep a dog, a cat, and five birds. Sundays were my day off if there were no calling hours, but otherwise I answered the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Ellen recalled a funny incident with a reporter from Butler Eagle during that time. Because she might need to answer the phone at any time, Ellen’s phone was equipped with an extra-long cord. She tried to keep the phone nearby at all times. One morning Ellen had a brief conversation with a reporter from the paper who had called to confirm the details of an obituary, then had to field questions about the “strange noise” in the background. Ellen laughed as she recalled having to explain to the Eagle staffer that she’d been about to step into the shower when the phone rang.

The year Ellen was 50 was a difficult one. She lost her entire family in the space of a few months. Her husband passed away in September, followed by her father in October, and her mother in December. She was living in Glassport, PA, at the time and was also laid off from her job due to downsizing. With nothing to keep her in that area, Ellen decided to move back to the Zelienople and Cranberry area, which is how she ended up working at Glenn-Kildoo and ultimately finding Dutilh Church.

Though she was raised Presbyterian, Ellen attended Vacation Bible School at the local Methodist church in her town. The experiences made an impression.

“When I was 19 or 20, I decided I had liked the Bible school experiences so much that I switched,” Ellen said. She has attended Methodist churches ever since, for more than 60 years now.

“I moved to Cranberry 20 years ago, and wanted to continue my Methodist journey at Dutilh. I walked into Dutilh and it was like I came home,” Ellen explained.

Her favorite thing about Dutilh Church, Ellen said, is that “everyone at Dutilh makes you feel at home. They don’t care about your status or ask about where you came from. They just welcome you.”

Ellen, who has some health issues and no longer drives, appreciates the ways the Dutilh family has helped with transportation. “People are willing to help with personal needs, like taking me to doctor’s appointments or the grocery store,” she said.

Ellen has not let transportation or health limitations keep her from serving God where she can.

“Even though I don’t have a car, I find many ways to show God’s love to others,” Ellen said. “I’m slowing down a little because of medical problems, but I help the other residents who can’t get out as much; I get their mail, help with their pets, and take out the garbage. I still check daily on several people on my floor to make sure they’re up and about and doing OK.”

And, of course, she prays. Secretly and unceasingly. If you’ve run into Ellen at a worship service and had a conversation with her, she’s probably even said a prayer for you.

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If you or someone you know in the Dutilh family has an interesting story or profession, send us your ideas! We would love to help tell the story. Email: communications@dutilhumc.org.