Naomi Hendricks

SHOREVIEW, Minn. - Naomi Hendricks, 95, passed away Jan. 2, 2015, at the home of her daughter in Shoreview.

From 1950 to 1958 Naomi and Bill served in Ironwood, Mich., where they pastored First Baptist Church. Naomi led the choir, had charge of junior church and taught Sunday school. They also directed the Lake Superior Bible Camp during that time. Her husband, Bill, had a daily radio program, Morning Meditations, which ran for a half dozen years on WJMS.

Naomi was born April 8, 1919, in Chicago to Arthur and Freda Collins. She was the second of five children. Moody Church was their home church and remained so even after the family moved to Cedar Lake, Ind., during the depression. Dr. H. A. Ironside was the pastor at that time and a personal friend.

She met Bill Hendricks at Moody Church when she was the song leader and he was asked to substitute on the piano. They both entered Moody Bible Institute in 1940 and graduated together three years later. After marriage they served together as state directors of Child Evangelism Fellowship for Mississippi and Louisiana, then when Bill was youth pastor at Central Baptist Church in Gary, Ind. From 1958 to 1964 they lived in Duluth where Bill pastored at Bethany Baptist Church. During this time Naomi was the director of the city-wide Released Time Program, sponsored by the Evangelical Ministerial Association of Duluth.

From 1969 to 1982 when Bill served as Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church of south Minneapolis, Naomi led the choir. From 1969 to 1982 Bill served as assistant pastor at what was then known as Edina Baptist Church (later Grace Church of Edina). During this time she became Pastor Bob Ricker's secretary, organized and led the children's Crusader Choir. They went on a short-term mission trip to Pakistan in 1985, serving at Murree Christian School.

Both she and Bill enjoyed traveling, visiting over 30 countries during their lifetimes. Naomi is survived by one sister; three children; seven grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.