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Image provided by: Suffolk Cooperative Library System
She ushered in a bit of heaven on Earth Our Woman of the Year in Religion manages ministry, BY ROBERT LEUNER \ Samantha Tetro has been chosen as The Times of M vorthport's Woman of the Year in Religion for the dedi- canon and passion she demonstrates through ministry at Samantha's L'il Bit of Heaven in East Northport. Bom Jewish. Tetro converted to Chnstranity and was so taken aback with the news headlines that she envi- moned a place of peace. or a little bit of heaven, on Earth. \I saw a haven. a refuge from stress,\ Tetro said in a previous interview | \\You can't really run from stress. but maybe you can get some relief. I wanted the focus to be on making people feel better on the inside rather than the outside. I wanted it to be a place where people thnve and are given hope ~ Since then. Tetro's vision has grown mto a full- fledged. full-ume nmunistry inside a coffeehouse where nothing i~ for sale. but where many things are offered on the menu not just desserts and beverages. but also bereavement support groups. clean comedy nights and tundraisers for the less fortunate. such as the benefit held this past fall tor Humcane Katrina survivors. In September. Tetro hosted a special performance by Buttany Maer. a 16-year-old blind. autistic savant who brought the house dow n with her piano renditions of pop- ular tunes played from memory To guests. it was just one more of the many \muracles® that untold at Lil Bit of Heaven Although Samantha's is grounded in Chnstian min- istry. the place welcomes people from alt taiths and walks ot hte Tetro is especially fond of spreading word that more than a dozen couples have met and marmed through Lil Bit of Heaven Her husband. Anthony. said. \She's very dedicated to Samantha Tetro lends support to many Managing munistry is only a small part of Tetro's role. The former boutique owner had enough operational tools to make an enterprise work - this took more. Linda Racaniello, a regular volunteer at L'il Bit of Heaven, said, \There is something about the place that draws me back to Sam's. She is the most caring fmend I've ever known. People come to her with their problems and she always has ume for them. She never tums any- one away. I've learned so much more there than at church and I'm a changed person for having gone there.\ She continued, \I've learned what it means to be a Christian, to live my life as a good Christian and give what E can to people. People like her and they like and believe in what she's doing.\ Joanne Culluin, who also volunteers. said, \She's a great person, she gives her time to everyone. She gives you support and believes in you and helps you to make a step on a positive road. She sees the good in people .. you can't help but grow in that kind of environment.\ Patty Routzahn runs the lighting for live shows at L il Bit of Heaven and has been a regular since 1998. \L'il Bit of Heaven is a safe place - I can bring my mother or my son there,\ Routzahn said. underscoring Tetro's mussion statement. \Samantha sees the good in people. She sees God in people. She's a rare find in this day and age. Most people are all about themselves, but she's not She exem- phfies Chnst in all things and we are blessed to have her and a L'il Bit of Heaven.\ Anthony said. \There are qualites in her that I wish I had. A lot of people call themselves a Chnstian because they're not a Jew or a Muslim, but they don't have the Chnstian *walk the way Jesus does® and Samantha does. She looks at a person and sees potential. A lot of broken- File photo the munistry It's dong hours. almost T6-hours a day. whether she's there or at the house setting up bookings or Bible studies. support groups or other events -- with very little pay ~ Lil Bit of Heaven was built from discarded stems teer» could find what whe needed to make her dream work She literally built something from nothing. But Tetro takes no credit for making L'il Bit of Heaven a real- ity. \I know God made something out of nothing.\ she explained in the same interview. \That's why when peo- ple say. 'Are you the owner\ E say. 'No, God owns it. I'm hearted people have come through these doors and she has the unique gift of seeing their potential. The key to the ministry is that Samantha reaches out to these people with love and without judgment and the first thing she would say is that *It's not me - it's God.\ You have to | week of Feb 23rd Pease vist vean tothenextlevel net tor contest information tound in dumpsters and wherever else Tetro and volun- just running it.\ really love it to work in that kind of ministry.\ Got CLUTTERP Win a \CLEAR YOUR CLUTTER\ Contest! What do you win? 4 hours of on site organizing with To the Next Level - Professional Organizing Company To the Next Leve! wall help you implement a strategy to tackle whatever organizational nightmare you might be facing What do you have to do? Write why YOU want need and deserve this free four-hour session Send your story {300 words or tess) with a picture of your stuation (picture is optional), by e-mail to erleen@tothenextlevel net before Feb 9th. 2006 or by snan mas to Times Beacon Record Newspapers. 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