This month, the women had a gathering a church and then a field trip afterwards, but our plans for the spring are quite exciting. We hope that this offers a variety of events for each woman.
On Feb 6th, yes, the same day of the Chili Cook Off, a group of Rutgers volunteers will come to help us clean. We are planning to give the Fellowship Hall, nursery and breezeway a thorough clean up. Any hands that can come that day are more than welcome. Bring your bucket and sponges! Once again we will prove that many hands make light work. No need to worry about dinner that night, just come back and get a tasting of all the different chilies!
Also, keep Apr 24th open for a special brunch. That morning we hope to celebrate the hard work of Yvette Molina. She is a staff member of Elijah’s Promise and has done, and still does, a lot for House of Manna.
That same day we hope to raise funds by selling Raggedy Ann dolls, table runners, and other handiworks. If you would like to help with Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, please contact Ellen Hamilton. If you have other handmade crafts that you would like to donate to raise the project funds, please contact Erie.
After our planning session, most of us went to the bathroom together. Together?! Yes, we all went there to look and see what is needed for the renovations. Joan had a drawing of the new layout and we were looking to see where a changing table might fit, as well as other items. The plans for the renovations are coming together, although we still need about $4,000 to complete all the necessary changes.
Then it was time to get our coats on to go to the Hungarian Art Museum on Somerset Street. There we got a tour of the thirteen different Christmas trees on display, as well as the lace work and Hungarian costumes and folk art. It was very intriguing and we all learned a couple of things. For instance: in Denmark they still have real candles on their trees and burn them! Also, did you know where the red globed ornaments come from? The answer: most likely from the tradition of putting red apples as decorations on trees. Did you know that in Denmark St. Nicholaus’ sleigh is not pulled by a reindeer but rather by a goat? The lace that was displayed was just stunningly beautiful, so fine and intricate. And, being a folk dancer myself, it was just wonderful to see all the different costumes.
Next month we will have a “regular” meeting and read from our book, God Is in the HARD Stuff. Don’t worry if you do not have a copy of this book; you are welcome and can always participate. See you all on Feb 21st after worship!
We all know what the Fellowship Hall looks like on a regular day. Now close your eyes and see twelve tables set up surrounded by chairs, a Christmas tree, a tent and more than 80 ladies. Yes, more than 80! That is how many attended our annual Advent breakfast. We had people from all over the region, from so may different houses of worship. Here is a quote from a Thank You note that I received afterwards:
Thank You for such a warm, wonderful, meaningful time of fellowship and worship this past Saturday, I was so in the moment for the entire morning. Thank you for this precious gift to begin and maintain an expectant mind set during this time of waiting.
For me this describes it so well, this time of waiting!
I cannot begin to thank all of you who helped with the organization of this event. So many of you contributed in one way or the other. And all that added up to a very good time for all of us. We were able to collect almost $300 for House of Manna, to give those families an extra boost in these difficult times. The skit, written by Pastor Susan, was so good that you could hear a pin drop. We all appreciated her description of Trouble outside the tent, another perception of the Star of Bethlehem.
Now looking towards the New Year, we have our first meeting on Jan 17th. After a short gathering in the Randolph Room, we will go to the Hungarian Museum. I have arranged a tour for us at 2:00 .pm. The cost will be $5 a person, ($3 for seniors). All women of the congregation are welcome to come. It promises to be a nice trip!
Prayer shawls are still being made and given out. If you want to know more about prayer shawls, let me know. If you know someone who could benefit from a shawl, do not hesitate to talk to me. We usually have one or two on hand to be given out.
Tagged as:
Advent
I hope you are all looking forward to a good breakfast on December 5th at church. I am talking about our annual Women’s Guild Advent Breakfast, of course. Let us all come out and have a good time with our friends from other churches. Bring your friends as well; you know that babysitting is available. Pastor Susan also wrote another thought-provoking skit titled, Trouble Outside of the Tent – Another Perception of the Star of Bethlehem. Thank you to all who donated shampoo, conditioner, and other hygiene products for House of Manna.
We had a nice collection for them which we will give it to them together with our collection from the Advent breakfast. On January 17th, we plan to visit the art show at the Museum of the American Hungarian Foundation. Details will follow.
Even though December is traditionally a very busy month for most of us, we will meet for our prayer shawl meeting. If you want to make shawls but cannot come to the meeting, see Erie. There will be no Sunday meeting in for the Guild in December.
Church Women United will host their Christmas party on January 8th. It is a covered potluck luncheon with a $1 grab bag gift exchange. More details are to come about where it will be celebrated.
I am planning to go; let me know if you want to go as well.
Last Sunday, the women of the church where invited to come to the Van Wickle House to gather for a short retreat. All in all, twelve women could make it where we celebrated with friendship and great food. First, we held a short “worship” service around the theme of friendship and story telling.
We told each other stories of women who inspired us to keep our faith. We held stones and told the group words that we would write on these stones to describe these women. Later we discussed how we can keep the Women’s Guild alive in the church in this changing world.
After the service, we looked for a nice place to put the stones, so that every time we visit the Van Wickle House we may visit the stones and remember the good time we had and the stories we heard. When we went inside it was time to prepare all the food that we had brought for our potluck dinner.
While munching on some appetizers, we went quickly over the business side of the Women’s Guild. We talked a little about our upcoming Advent Breakfast on Dec 5th, the prayer shawls were mentioned, as well all the other activities the Guild does. Then we sat down for a scrumptious dinner that was made by many loving hands. We finished it off with very luxurious dessert. And with a quick clean up, our retreat was over.
I really enjoyed seeing so many of us engaged in talks with each other, to be catching up after not having seen each other for a long time or just remembering those who have gone before us, or people who could not be there for personal reasons and knowing they regretted that.
I am looking forward to a great season for our Women’s Guild and hope to see many faces at our next meeting on Sunday, Oct 18th after worship service.
May 1st saw the celebration of Friendship Day of the Church Women United. Our church was one of the twelve represented at this service and luncheon. The luncheon was very well organized and delicious. The worship promised to be a good one, but due to time constraints, Joan, Pastor Susan and I could not stay for the whole service. We will use the bulletin we received for our own Friendship Worship at our Jun 14th meeting.
We had a small gathering on May 17th. According to our plans, we used our study book for a discussion about hardships and how to find God in those times. It proved to be a very worthwhile discussion. It is always nice to see new faces at our gatherings. Once again, I extend the invitation to all the women of the church, young and old and everything in between, to attend our meetings.
Prayer shawls are still being made albeit at a slower tempo than when we started. If you cannot attend the meetings at 9:30 a.m. the second Wednesday of each month but want to contribute in one way or the other, please speak to me for details. We have so many folks on our prayer list who would truly benefit from receiving a prayer shawl. I can certainly provide some guidance for those of you who may want to knit or crochet a shawl for the first time.
On March 15th, we finally sat down to watch the movie, The Whale Rider. This was an activity we had planned for our last retreat but never had gotten to do. Thank you, Janet, for getting us the movie! We all enjoyed it very much. We invited the others who where still around to join us. The kids soon decided that the beginning was too scary to keep watching, but those that stayed enjoyed it. It is a powerful message that is crafted into this story. If you were not able to watch with us, I can recommend it to watch it yourself! [ more » ]
Tagged as:
Children,
General,
volunteers,
Women's Guild
by Ellen Hamilton
If you attended the Square Dance and Auction, you saw that the Raggedy Ann and Andy Factory is back in business. Ann and Andy sat happily on a table waiting for bids. Andy went home with Kathleen Boyles and Ann is keeping other dolls company while they wait for clothes or hair or even for stuffing. [ more » ]
Tagged as:
Fund Raising
