You may know
Shirley Mauney,
left above with Julie Weingand, as a
frequent greeter at OUMC’s 10:30 a.m.
service, but you probably don’t know all the other ways she serves the church. Shirley works tirelessly out of the spotlight at everything from counting offerings on Sunday to calling recipients of the Mission Team’s Thanksgiving dinners to giving rides to homebound congregants. She never calls attention to herself, but
United Women in Faith did when they named her the
2026 Woman of the Year on Aug. 22.
Shirley has been on OUMC’s Missions Team for four years, and Chairperson Nancy Duttry say Shirley is always ready to serve on the team’s projects. “Leaders could not lead and achieve their goals without faithful volunteers and followers like Shirley,” says Nancy. Shirley is a regular participant in the team’s Backpack Blessings summer food distributions and many other projects. She also has served on the Church Council and the Staff Parrish Committee at OUMC. “I really get to be a part of the church by serving,” Shirley says.
Shirley became a part-time resident of Oriental and a member of OUMC in 2012, following the death of her husband in 2010 in Shelby. She found a real sense of community in both the Sand Dollar Circle and the Sojourners Circle, and she became a member of both. She also became involved in Prime Time programs. “I have never met such a warm and beautiful set of people,” she said. “I think of church members as my family.”
Her son, Mark Crowder, lives in Oriental and encouraged her to become a fulltime resident, which she did in 2016. As a former employee of the state of North Carolina’s Main Street Center, a part of the Department of Commerce, Shirley was used to being busy. She explored various volunteer opportunities and found what worked well for her, especially as her mobility became more limited. “I can’t help with a lot of things,” she says. “This taught me to see what works and what doesn’t. Just because you have been doing something for a while doesn’t mean you need to keep doing it.”
Her advice: If you want to volunteer at OUMC, just reach out and talk to someone at the church. There’s an opportunity for everyone to serve.
