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A Tribute to Joyce Griffith

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Many of you will remember the Sabbath School Net “Discussion Starters” produced by Joyce Griffith. I was saddened to learn that Joyce passed away yesterday. Joyce had worked for various church departments, including the Voice of Prophecy. She had also been a missionary to Africa for about 5 years.

I never met Joyce in person. We become good friends through our work on Sabbath School Net. During her retirement, she wrote her Discussion Starters each week and I was given the task of checking and publishing them. She was a good editor and I don’t think I ever had to correct anything she had written. As time went on, she could no longer manage the internet editing facilities but would email her notes to me. I have just checked and found that over the last 4 years we exchanged over 1200 emails. Mostly they were her Discussion Starters, but always they included chats and little interludes about her personal life.

Sadly in 2020, I recognised that Joyce’s health was failing and she was becoming confused. She had an accident and broke her hip and could no longer use her computer. Her brother Dave used to ferry messages between us for a while, but she eventually had to be put into a care facility.

Joyce had a very perceptive mind and never took the status quo for granted. We often exchanged notes about the SSNET discussion and ways to challenge our readers’ thinking.

Joyce had a strong faith and I am sure that we will meet again in heaven and be able to continue our discussions face to face.

Thank you Joyce for your friendship and contribution to SSNET over the years. I miss you not only as a contributor but as a friend.

Joyce wrote a small book about her experiences in the mission school in Africa. It is available from Amazon:
Memories from Rusangu Secondary School Zambia

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About Maurice Ashton

Maurice Ashton is a retired lecturer who lives in Australia. He taught Science and Mathematics at high school level before taking a research interest in Computer Science. He lectured at Avondale College for nearly 30 years before retiring in 2012. He is married to Carmel and they have two adult children and two grand children. Currently Maurice is pursuing a keen interest in bird photography and spends much of his time sitting in swamps observing and photographing birds. He has been involved with Sabbath School Net since about 1997.

Comments

A Tribute to Joyce Griffith — 20 Comments

  1. I am sorry to learn about the loss of sister Joyce. May the Lord bless her family and all those who knew her in person and through her Writings.
    I often used her "Discussion Starters", which were a blessing to our Sabbath School Class.

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  2. Now at peace from deterioration, debilitation and distress... awaiting resurrection.

    Well done, good and faithful servant...

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  3. Joyce Griffith have fought the good fight, she has finished the race, she has kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for her the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to her on that day, and not only to her but also to all who have loved his appearing.

    Good Night beloved, see you on the GLORIOUS MORNING.

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  6. I have just read the sad news of the passing of Joyce Griffith. Sad in one way but joyous in another. The next time Joyce opens her eyes, she will see the face of Jesus smiling back at her.
    I often used Joyce's material as I was leading out in Sabbath School, and I was more that grateful for her contribution. May the arm's of Jesus surround Joyce's family and fill them with peace and hope of the soon return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and once more be re united with loved ones.

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  7. It is with sadness to learn about this sudden loss. Joyce had helped me learning to pose question in the sabbath school class that will spark a lively discussion and enrichment.
    See you in the glorious morning.
    All the best to the family and relatives left behind

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  10. Until that Great Getting Up Morning my sister, Fare Thee Well, Fare Thee well. My deepest sympathies and condolences to all her loved ones.
    "What we have once enjoyed we can never lose; all that we love deeply becomes a part of us." Helen Keller
    Thanks for letting us know Bro Maurice. I appreciate you, and all those who contribute to the kingdom.

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  12. "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them." Revelation 14:13 KJV. We praise God for the literary and spiritual contributions of our dear sister Joyce, and live in hope of the Grand Reunion not long from now!

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  13. I am so sad that she passed away.
    personally, I do not know her but I've known her through this web site and I've been blessed by her writing.
    I will meet you there soon.

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  15. I have been among the beneficiaries of Griffith's SS online lesson discussion starters and saddened to learn that she is no more. We praise the LORD for talents gifted to Joyce and how she used them to be a blessing.

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  16. I’m Joyce’s niece, and we as a family are thankful for all your kind words. You are precious. She is already missed by us as well. 😢

    Yes, her rest is sweet.
    See you tomorrow, Auntie. ❤️

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  17. I'm sure that Joyce's death leaves a hole in many lives. I met her about twenty or so years ago, although it doesn't seem like that long. That was before we ever had a blog for Sabbath School Net, but we had an email discussion list. Joyce's contributions had intrigued me, and I would be driving past her place on my way from British Columbia to Colorado. So I thought it would be really great to meet her. She responded graciously to my inquiry and invited me to stay with her over Sabbath, which I did. She taught a Sabbath School class at the time, and it was clear that she was interested in making class members think. She taught by asking questions, and the questions were not such as to allow for pat answers. She wanted us to apply the lesson to our lives.

    Thinking back now, I remember she was raking leaves when I pulled into her yard. And I remember a sunny Idaho fall day and a meeting of minds in much lively conversation. Just before sunset, Joyce drove us out to a promontory where we could enjoy the sunset over a panorama of Idaho countryside. She said it was one of her favorite places to meditate and pray.

    I would have liked to spend more time with Joyce, but the opportunity never came. She had a quick wit that made conversation with her a pleasure. Joyce ran a small publishing company, Griffith Publishing, focused on helping new authors who didn't know how to get their books published. She edited their work and helped them publish their books economically. She also did some ghost-writing as well as publishing a list of very short books on Amazon, largely related to the drug industry. (Interestingly, the Australian Amazon site lists more of her books than the US site.)

    When Sabbath School Net started publishing a blog and we thought of offering more teaching helps, I thought of Joyce and asked her if she would like to contribute a weekly blog. After some persuasion, she agreed, and the rest is history. Since her first short blog post on July 17, 2011, Joyce contributed a total of 433 post to Sabbath School Net. (You can see them by clicking on the link.) During the few times she could not contribute, we got emails asking what happened to her posts. Joyce saw her weekly "Discussion Starters" as a service to her Lord, and this gave her a great deal of satisfaction.

    Joyce loved the Lord, and when He calls her back to life at the resurrection, she'll be happy to meet all those who were inspired by her writing.

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    • May you be blessed for the information. I have benefited from her sharings for more than 4 years. I longed meeting her. Who can really do what she did? My God!

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  18. I first met Joyce when I joined the health education department of Hinsdale Hospital in Illinois where she was the public relations director. We hit it off as friends and we stayed in touch when she went to Africa. Once my daughter and I met her at Yellowstone National Park where we camped together. Later when my husband and I moved to California, Joyce and I camped together in Idaho and took a trip to find her father's grave in upper Idaho. We had a great time touring a silver mine and enjoying Coeur d'Alene and Spokane, WA. Emails always kept us connected. She was a very good friend.

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  19. May God bless the work of her hands. I wish God to grant me a chance to discuss a lesson at heaven with Joyce. Am grateful for her, im my university days i used Joyce's questions as a teaching tool. Many loved my class cause of this. It's almost a year plus without her. It forced me to take a new map of making new teaching methodology. I will really miss her. Am shocked to learn of the news today, i have been eager to see any comments related to Griffith only to see this. So sad, I'll try my best to emulate her steps in Sabbath school.

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