((PKG)) SHARON DICKEN
((Banner: A Giving Spirit))
((Reporter/Camera: Gabrielle Weiss))
((Banner: Churches of Christ (about 1% of Americans)))
((Map: Cumberland, Maryland))
((NATS))
((SHARON DICKEN, Owner, Signet Designs Styling Salon))
I’m Sharon Dicken. I am the sole proprietor, owner of Signet Designs Styling Salon.
((NATS))
((SHARON DICKEN, Owner, Signet Designs Styling Salon))
This is one of the biggest blessings God has given me. I live here, I walk through the door and I’m at work. I don’t wear the tread off my tires, that’s for sure.
((NATS))
((SHARON DICKEN, Owner, Signet Designs Styling Salon))
I always try to keep the Lord focused in my business. Same ritual every morning. I retired from JC Penny’s Styling Salon and broke away and just wanted to be more independent and have my own business. So that’s why I left Penny’s and retired and opened my own salon. I’ve been in my salon for 13 years now. I’ve been a beautician for going on 34 years.
((NATS))
((SHARON DICKEN, Owner, Signet Designs Styling Salon))
And we’re open for business. I love the connection that I have with my customers. They come once or twice. They’re a customer. They come after that, they’re family. And we go through a lot together. I mean, we’ve gone through a lot together. I’ve lost a lot of customers that I’ve just dearly loved and it’s like losing a family member.
((NATS))
((SHARON DICKEN))
Her daughter was supposed to have a baby close to Christmas but she’s having complications so....
((CUSTOMER))
Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.
((SHARON DICKEN))
Thanks.
((CUSTOMER))
I’ll pray for her.
((SHARON DICKEN))
You can just pray for Sharon’s sister-in-law’s daughter.
((CUSTOMER))
Ok.
((SHARON DICKEN))
My business is very God focused. My customers, the majority of them, I would say at least 99% of them are Christians or at least believe in the Lord. And we have good discussions. There’s times when we pray together. There’s times when we cry together. There’s times when we worship together.
((SHARON DICKEN))
You’ve got a nice shine here again.
((CUSTOMER))
That’s good.
((SHARON DICKEN))
We both have accepted Lord Jesus as our Lord and savior and that makes us adopted into his family. That makes us sisters.
((CUSTOMER))
Oh Sharon that looks nice, that looks nice.
((SHARON DICKEN, Owner, Signet Designs Styling Salon))
It is scary when you start a new business but, God was right there walking through it right with me. I mean, everything was, just fell into place. The contractor, I contracted him for half of what the other contractors had wanted. He was a good Christian friend and the electrician was a Christian friend and he actually did all the work and everything for very little. And I’m just thankful that God just put people right in my path that helped me right along and everything just fell into place.
((SHARON DICKEN))
21st you want Friday at 10?
((CUSTOMER))
I pray for her all the time.
((SHARON DICKEN, Owner, Signet Designs Styling Salon))
It’s been kind of a bad year with surgeries and stuff. I have had heart surgery, and I had an adrenalectomy in October, and I have to, I’m facing some more heart surgeries also. But I have a lot of folks that pray, and we have to pray for each other, we have to be there for each other. And before I went in, I prayed and I knew that God was watching over me and He takes care of me. So, we have to praise Him in the storm. I mean, life’s not a bed of roses and even through the bad times, we have to find something in those situations that is a blessing. And if you think about it and ponder on it long enough even through your storms, you will find a blessing.
((SHARON DICKEN))
I’m just not just getting my strength back like I should. Do you want a haircut?
((CUSTOMER))
Will you cut my hair? How you been girl?
((SHARON DICKEN))
Ok, how are you?
((CUSTOMER))
Good.
((SHARON DICKEN, Owner, Signet Designs Styling Salon))
The name of the salon is Signet Designs. Signet actually comes from Hagai 2:23 where it talks about the signet ring. And I just figured when I opened the shop that when I do somebody’s hair, that’s their own personal hair-do, and that’s kind of like their signature hair-do. So, that’s why I named the salon Signet Designs.
((SHARON DICKEN))
I think one of the biggest things right here in Cumberland is homelessness. We have a lot of homeless people in this area and…. ((CUSTOMER))
Sharon started feeding people right here.
((SHARON DICKEN))
Yeah, we did.
((CUSTOMER))
She set up tables in her house.
((SHARON DICKEN))
We did, that was, that was quite a bit. We used to take all the salon furniture out and set tables up in here and then we’d have a serving table over here and we’d serve those that were less fortunate. It’s fun.
((CUSTOMER))
The minister would come in and say a prayer.
((SHARON DICKEN))
Yeah. I was recuperating from surgery this year but I think we need to do that again.
((SHARON DICKEN, Owner, Signet Designs Styling Salon))
Our community actually has a big homeless problem. We have the drug issue. We have unemployment issues. And I think, as Christians, we need to be addressing these issues more because I don’t honestly think we are doing enough to help the folks in our community. I know another issue that we have in the United States is immigration. If you read in the Bible, it tells you that we are to welcome the foreigner. We are to help and aide the foreigner. I know I have a lot of people say, ‘well they should do things legal.’ Well, since when did we start to pick and choose who we’re going to help? We, as Christians, shouldn’t pick and choose. We should do what we can to help anybody that needs help, because we may be the only Jesus they ever see here.
((NATS))
((SHARON DICKEN, Owner, Signet Designs Styling Salon))
I go to the Paw Paw Church of Christ in Paw Paw, West Virginia. We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, and we believe that Christ is our creator. Anything more than that is too much. Anything less than that is not enough. We just follow Jesus. Sunday mornings, I get up and I usually really don’t do a lot of work, work, work on Sundays because I like to have that time.
((SHARON DICKEN))
We’re heading out now to Paw Paw Church of Christ in West Virginia. I know some people would say, ‘why do you travel so far when there’s all these churches around here?’ Well, Paw Paw’s my home church and I’m thankful for it and I love worshipping with the folks. That’s why I do it. Besides, 26 miles (41 km) is nothing. Paw Paw’s just a little country church. Don’t blink going through it because you might miss it.
((NATS))
((MAN))
Hey girls. Morning.
((SHARON DICKEN))
Morning Doc.
((SHARON DICKEN))
Going to church is a joy because I get to fellowship with other Christians and Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to forsake the fellowship because that’s what helps build us up and connect to each other so that we have that strength through Christ and so we can continue to go on. And I think everybody needs that building up and loving on each other fellowship on Sundays.
((NATS))
((Rev. Richard White, Preacher, Paw Paw Church of Christ))
Good morning. We have been waiting for the return of Jesus. He’s coming back. And right now we’re in, that’s the mode we’re in today. We’re in that mode to prepare the West, to turn the hearts of the people to the Lord. Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near. And then ask, who are you? Because I am one cent, to prepare the way of the Lord. But we’re waiting. And maybe it’ll be another 50 years. We’re waiting. But I know this. When it happens, we’ll know it. And I’m just going to ask this one question right now. Are you ready? Are your hearts prepared to receive God? Just think about all the things that have happened this year. All the hurricanes, all the earthquakes, all those natural disasters. We are warned about this in the book of these things will happen, and they will happen closer together and in greater force. If anything, 2018 serves as a warning, he’s coming back. And if he were to come back today, would you be ready? Prepare your heart.
((NATS))
((SHARON DICKEN))
I feel that God has called me to help wherever I can. And I find great pleasure in cooking for folks and doing whatever I can to help someone.
((SHARON DICKEN))
I need to talk to you about something, maybe putting something in the bulletin, about anybody that has any coats that they’re not using, coats that they’re not using or blankets that are gently used, scatter rugs, that kind of thing.
((Rev. Richard White, Preacher, Paw Paw Church of Christ))
Ok, let Cindy know and she’ll put it in the bulletin.
((SHARON DICKEN))
Alrighty, yeah because we should have been doing this a while back.
((Rev. Richard White, Preacher, Paw Paw Church of Christ))
She’s talking about getting all the things that we don’t use that are just cluttering in our closets and there are people that can use them.
((SHARON DICKEN))
Well, coats and blankets and even throw rugs.
((Rev. Richard White, Preacher, Paw Paw Church of Christ))
Yeah.
((SHARON DICKEN))
And carpet remnants that are pretty big, you know, because they lay them on the ground and put their blankets and stuff on them and that way they don’t get soaking wet too.
((Rev. Richard White, Preacher, Paw Paw Church of Christ))
Sure.
((SHARONDICKEN))
Send me Cindy’s email.
((Rev. Richard White, Preacher, Paw Paw Church of Christ))
Ok.
((SHARONDICKEN))
Thank you. God bless you.
((Rev. Richard White, Preacher, Paw Paw Church of Christ))
God bless you too.
((SHARON DICKEN, Owner, Signet Designs Styling Salon))
I actually live a very busy life. I try to stay busy. I try to keep doing things. And one of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalms 46:10. It says: Be still and know that I am God. To me that means a lot because we do get too busy sometimes, and we’re praying about this and we’re doing this and we’re doing that, and I think sometimes I just need to stop and just refresh and just be still and know that He is God. He’s in control. He’s going to handle all the anguish and all the heartache and everything and it’s going to be OK.
((NATS))
