Say Hi to Corinne Thorpe
Corinne Thorpe and her husband Alan have followed the Lord and His Spirit for many years. It is evident in the way they see God move in miraculous ways. Ways only explained through the power of Jesus. Though there are countless experiences of God's hand on her life, one very vivid one sticks out to Corrine. Two years ago, on a Replenish Retreat weekend, she was surrounded by her sisters in Christ from the PennDel Women Dream Team, where she serves as the North West representative. Let’s first follow her journey that brought her to the Dream Team.
Corinne says it herself, she is very approachable and has a lot of life experience. So if there is any woman you want to sit down with for a spot of tea and glean from how God has moved in her life, Corinne is that woman. To pick her brain, hear her crazy remarkable stories that are undeniably God, dig into her wisdom, and simply bask in her adorable English accent. Originally from Halifax, Yorkshire.
She serves in ministries for girls and women. She has five girls herself. Don't worry. Five boys balance it, so Alan has equaled the playing field. It's not surprising she wants to be a resource in Godly parenting. And how to raise teenagers in this crazy generation! For such a time as this, your child has been born, so God is not shocked or scared! There is a reason and purpose your child is specifically called to this era and generation. Let's not run from it. Let's seize it!
Corinne currently finds herself in a stage of grandparenting and simultaneously parenting teens. She has five grandchildren. Corinne is passionate about families because she has seen the power of raising Godly children and the unity in a family that the enemy tries so hard to destroy. She says her heart breaks for children in dysfunctional homes and women broken from abuse and dysfunction. She is passionate about women's ministry specifically because women have so much influence in the lives of our younger generations.
Corinne joined Dream Team because she was saying another yes to God. She surprised herself when she said yes! The previous Women's Director, Ruth Puleo, asked Corinne several times to consider joining the team. Each time Corinne politely declined. It was evident that Ruth saw Corinne's gifting to speak into other women's lives and the next generation.
Corinne exudes a welcoming love that encourages you to open up and share the things deep in your heart. Everyone on the Dream Team can attest to a time they went to Corinne as a mother figure and poured their heart out. It's easy to open up to her. She welcomes you with words of wisdom, a loving hug, and a joyful, upbeat joke that makes you laugh at the end of some relieving tears.
One evening Ruth called Corinne's hubby, as sectional presbyter, to ask his thoughts about a possible option regarding their women's sectional rep. And as a great husband does, he said he would ask his wife. At that moment, Corinne called Ruth back and said this woman would probably be great, but she had a change of heart and wanted to be considered again. Corinne says, "I have no idea what made me say that at that point, and I think I surprised myself as much as I did Ruth!" Ruth announced that she was retiring at the first meeting she attended. The current director, Liz Defrain transitioned into the role, and Corinne has loved every second of being a part of this team, now going on five years. She says, "As Liz will tell you if you asked her, I struggle with feeling very inadequate alongside all the massively talented ladies, but I believe my fondness for laughter and my ability to just dig in where needed and to love on all the women are gifts which the team needs." The team surely needs everything Corinne gives. She is lavish in her love and her Godly advice. She is a momma to all.
She is a full-time homemaker. She has been married to Alan for 33 years and currently lives in Albion, near Erie, PA. Outside of the church, she enjoys doing DIY projects when she is not catching up with one of her kids, busy pursuing the Lord. In addition, one of her daughters is getting married this May!
Corinne accepted Christ when she was 16 years old. Truly understanding the fatherhood of God was defining in her walk with Christ, shaping her into the strong and faithful woman of God she is today. The best advice she has ever received is, "Choose to not take offense," which Corinne does so gracefully well, as she leads and loves with humble strength. She is always laughing, seemingly never offended, and can laugh at herself and let things roll off her back. She is currently reading "Powerful and Free" by Danny Silk. She wishes she could tell her younger self, "Dusting isn't important!" Even with a few typed words, she can make you laugh. Her favorite food is Indian! Always!
So what happened at that retreat two years ago? Corinne says, "Little did I know when I set off that Friday morning that my life was about to be turned upside down. Again! In our 30+ years of ministry, my family and I have experienced countless miracles in all areas of our lives, and this weekend was going to be another chapter in our story." As that Friday evening drew to a close, Corinne stepped into the dining hall to get more meat from the refrigerator. As she closed the door, ham and turkey in hand, she felt incredible pressure in her chest—an inability to catch her breath.
She says, "I called out to the only other lady in the room, turned toward the nearest table, and that's the last thing I remember for a time. I don't know how many minutes passed, but I was suddenly aware of a familiar voice casting all the demons of hell out from my body! I couldn't open my eyes but was fully aware of the voices of countless ladies crying out to heaven on my behalf."
The next few hours were a blur of medical staff and tests. They took Corinne to the local hospital. They conducted a panel of tests, none of which came back conclusive. There was no reason to explain the sharp pain. It was around 10 P.M., and she was feeling fine again. She continued to apologize for wasting everyone's time and, in a hurry, wanted to return to the retreat center.
As she recollects that night, she says, "Finally, the lovely ER doctor came in and said he would discharge me, but he was so concerned about why such a seemingly healthy, young (thank you, sir!! I'm 52 and feeling old!) woman should have had those symptoms. I very grumpily agreed to one more blood test, which meant a night in the ER."
At midnight she finally decided to call home. Home being five hours away. She told her son not to wake his Dad. She was sure she'd be fine in the morning. "Of course, he DID wake his dad, but I reassured my hubby I really was fine and I'd call him as soon as I knew more," she says.
"At 7:30 A.M., the doctor came back in and uttered the words which are now ingrained in my memory, 'I'm afraid you had a heart attack.' WHAT????" Corinne was shocked. The following two days Corinne underwent more tests, all of which returned negative. Her heart was perfectly healthy, and she had no blockages. They transferred her to Harrisburg to see a specialist. That Monday morning, she found herself in the hands of an excellent cardiologist who wheeled her in for a catheterization. "Within seconds of the probe reaching my heart, he gasped. 'I know what this is. I'd never seen this in all my career, but I just had one two weeks ago. It's a SCAD.'" A rare form of heart attack thought to be caused by hormones, not heart disease.
Phew. Two years later, Corinne is just as healthy as she was before. Except now she takes a whole bunch of heart meds and regularly sees a fantastic cardiologist who just happens to be friends with the guy who diagnosed her!
Corinne says, "The whole episode was a series of God-ordained events. If I hadn't had that particular ER doctor who insisted on that one more test, I could have been sent home with catastrophic consequences. If that second doctor hadn't recently seen a similar case, he might not have known what he was seeing. But what sticks out most in my mind is, if I hadn't been at Replenish, I wouldn't have had a whole army of praying women surrounding me when I needed it the most!"
Her life is full of miracles because Corinne is full of God. We are blessed and honored to have her on the PennDel Women Dream Team! You can contact Corinne best at her email corinnethorpe317@gmail.com. But if you are lucky enough to chat with her and be swooned by her accent, catch her at one of our PennDel Women events in person!