Jan and Bill Scheerer

The Scheerers, from Morganville, NJ, heard about Applewood from their fellow church members at the Monmouth Worship Center, who visit some Assisted Living residents for scripture readings and worship.

‘They talked about how lovely all the people were, so we decided to take a look for ourselves,” explains Jan, a former special needs college instructor. The couple liked  the freestanding independent living cottages and ended up choosing a brand new home.

“We had great fun customizing all of our finishes, from flooring and appliances to paint colors and countertops.”

One of their daughters, a Philadelphia-based architect, even initiated the removal of an interior wall to open up the floor plan to suit the Scheerers’ more contemporary taste.

Their other daughter’s family, including two beautiful grandchildren, live just minutes away in Freehold.

The couple already had friends living at Applewood and Bill, a Caltech- and MIT-educated engineer who worked at Bell Labs, has already found several former colleagues who also call Applewood home.

Starting a Weekly Bible Study Group

After they settled in, the Scheerers asked Engaged Living coordinator Wanda Garrin if the community had a Bible study group. “She said there was no group currently, but would we like to start one,” Bill says. The couple agreed and began creating a program curriculum.

In September, the couple launched a non-sectarian, team-taught Bible study group which is held on Mondays from 1:30 to 2:45 pm, except for the first Monday of each month.

Bill handles the technology aspect of the study (the group follows a DVD series) and Jan incorporates her teaching experience as the discussion facilitator.

The group supports Judeo-Christian scripture to accommodate Applewood’s religious diversity. As many as 25 residents have attended the weekly sessions which encompass people of many faiths, including agnostics.

“Our group is tremendously exciting because it represents several distinct views of Biblical study and everyone is eager to share their point of view and pose thought-provoking questions,” Jan explains.

Jan and Bill agree the choice to leave their longtime home was not easy, but it was the right decision for their future.

“We’ve found this community to be very active and full of interesting people,” Bill says. “From the day trips to the plethora of groups and clubs, you can be busy from dawn to dusk, which we are most days.