City Mission renames chapel for benefactor
Courtesy of Washington City Mission
Washington City Mission
Courtesy of Washington City Mission
Mary Pillow and Dr. Michael Crabtree are longtime supporters of Washington City Mission.
Courtesy of Washington City Mission
City Mission Chapel was recently renamed “Porter Pillow and Peggie Beaver-Pillow Chapel” in honor of the couple, pictured here.
Courtesy of Washington City Mission
Dr. Michael Crabtree, left, and his wife, Mary Pillow, look at a commemorative plaque of Pillow’s parents, for whom the City Mission has been named.
Courtesy of Washington City Mission
Washington City Mission held a dedication service to rename the mission’s chapel Porter Pillow and Peggie Beaver Pillow Chapel. Pictured are Barbara Crabtree, left, daughter of Dr. Michael Crabtree, right, and Mary Pillow, daughter of the couple for whom the chapel is named.
Visitors to the Washington City Mission’s chapel can find respite in the sanctuary that has been renamed in honor of the parents of one of the mission’s benefactors.
The City Mission on Tuesday held a dedication service where the chapel was named “Porter Pillow and Peggie Beaver-Pillow Chapel,” for the parents of Mary Pillow, a clinical social worker in Washington.
Mary Pillow and her husband, Dr. Michael Crabtree, a clinical psychologist and psychology professor at Washington & Jefferson College, have supported the City Mission and its work since 1995.
“You can’t walk away from (the City Mission) without a sense of Christ being involved with this,” Crabtree said during the dedication service. “Great things happen here, and it’s because of the people in this room.”
The service included musical performances by the band “Evening Sky” and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque.
Pillow said her parents instilled in her and her sister the belief that no one is better than anyone else, no one should be looked down upon, and to never walk past anyone in need.
“My sister and I still live by that to this day,” Pillow said prior to the service.
Crabtree said his wife’s parents “really embodied the spirit of giving throughout their entire lives.”
“They would never want to be applauded. They would want to be humbled. But they represent the spirit of giving that matches the Christ-centered work of the City Mission.”
Crabtree said he and his wife have given to City Mission for nearly three decades because “it really hits the mark of the work of Christ in this world.”
Crabtree, who serves as vice president of City Mission’s board of directors, said the chapel is the cornerstone of the work of the mission.
He noted it was the only building left standing following a devastating fire that destroyed a significant portion of the mission in 2015.
“I think the symbolism of that building on that street is powerful, because it shows that the mission is putting Christ at the forefront of all the good work they do in the community.”
Mary Pillow was born in Tennessee, but her father, who was an engineer for Procter & Gamble, moved the family to Tunkhannock, in northeastern Pennsylvania, for his work.
“I had the best childhood,” said Pillow, who described it as idyllic.
She has vivid memories of going to church with her parents when she was a child.
“I was a little kid and I would stand next to my dad at church,” Pillow said. “He loved to sing. He was a very big, tall man. And he would always sway when he sang,” a habit, Pillow said, she picked up.
The couple laughs when they recall the first time they attended church together, where Crabtree asked her, “Why are you swaying?”
Mary Pillow said the lessons she learned from her parents were powerful, and the most important one was to help those in need.
“I can’t sleep at night if I know someone is outside in the cold,” she said.
It is that spirit of helping others that inspires Pillow and Crabtree to support City Mission and the hungry and hurting in the community.
Dr. Sally Mounts, City Mission’s Chief Development Officer, said the mission is blessed to have the couple’s support.
“I know of no two people more willing to invest in the future of City Mission than Dr. Mike Crabtree and Mary Pillow,” said Mounts. “Their unwavering generosity will impact the lives of thousands of homeless men and women for decades to come.”
Pillow said the couple donates because they want to support the mission’s work and to carry on the legacy of Pillow’s parents to help those in need. But they also give to encourage and inspire others to support the City Mission, too.
“From top to bottom, this place is the authentic, real, spiritual deal. The people who work here are the best people in the world,” she said.
Crabtree encouraged people to get involved with City Mission.
“The mission works hard to serve the entire community, but right now there is a growing need in our area for homeless women. And the mission is currently working to address that need.”
To support City Mission, visit www.citymission.org.