Profile: Catherine Ritch Guess
Catherine Ritch Guess brings the joy of God's love to children still impacted by Katrina
"The most important thing is that there is someone that says to them not in words, 'I love you,' but in doing."
Catherine Ritch-Guess fell in love with hymns and music when she was four-years-old.
“I would come home from church every Sunday and sit down with one finger, pick out those hymns I loved so much,” she said. Her love for music grew and in college, she felt a call to be a missionary.
 “But the doors didn’t open. I thought, Okay, God. I miss-heard that call. So I went right into church music and loved every minute of it, worked for 35 years as the minister of music.”
Today Guess is living out her calling as a circuit-riding musician with the United Methodist Western North Carolina Annual Conference. She is also an accomplished author who has written 20 books and a composer who has written more than 300 songs for choirs, handbells and musicals.
As a circuit-riding musician, she travels globally to share her talents. A ministry that is dear to her heart is a project she started in the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in 2005. She holds summer camps for children who lost many of the joys of their childhood along with most of their possessions, friends and family.
“Childhood memories are important for everyone. We’re hoping to provide childhood memories that will be pleasant for them instead of the horror of Katrina,” she said.
Guess is a member of Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, N.C. She is an only child and has two sons. “I have a very small family actually,” she said “But to me I have so many sisters and so many brothers.”
“I start every morning with prayer. … I end every evening with prayer. … I know God is with me every day.”
Guess sees many people who are unchurched in today’s society. She knows the world looks at people who profess to be Christians to find what that really means.
“I start every morning with prayer. … I end every evening with prayer. … I know God is with me every day.”
“It’s not about wearing a cross on our shirt. It’s not about wearing a cross on our jewelry. It’s about wearing that cross so people can see it in our eyes, in our smile and the way we reach out to these children.”
Looking back over the years, Guess says she now realizes God has been preparing her through music and writing and experiences. She plans to write a book based on her experiences with the children in the Gulf Coast.
“I realize that God brought me to this point by all the people I’ve met, the stories I’ve heard, the lessons I’ve learned. And not only am I here as a missionary, I’m able to write it so the rest of the world can read about exactly what’s going on here with these children.”
Her message for others?
“No matter what they’ve gone through in life, tomorrow is a new day. And you get where you’re going by baby steps. When you take the big leap, you’re usually going to fall off the mountain. If you step there too fast, you miss all the scenery along the way. And it’s all the scenery that makes it beautiful.”
Catherine's Spiritual Gifts
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Catherine's Recommended Resources
Rudy the Red Pig
Books by Catherine Ritch Guess
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