You may have read Nathaniel Philbrick’s recent book “Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War“ on the founding of the Pilgrim Fathers’ colony Plymouth in New England.  When the colonists first set out to found their colony, they had to bring on board their ship all aspects of later life: people and tools of governance and administration, medical personnel, military, religiously trained people, craftsmen and farmers, and women and children as well.
Not that I would want to transfer us back to the 17th century, but our March Saturdays here at First Reformed were somewhat reminiscent of the founding of a colony. We had every craft and profession under the sun represented in our fellowship hall, including the two dogs “Ariel†and “Jackâ€.
Volunteer craftsmen from the Colts Neck Reformed Church under the leadership of forewoman Alicia Dimtsios laid tiles and put up sheet rock; other church volunteers removed sanctuary pews, installed the new sound system and cleaned up the cemetery. Another crew helped strip the outside white annex to the Randolph Room. And an army of chefs and waiters helped provide several luncheons that, by themselves, combined every culinary specialty you can imagine.
While we have recognized most helpers in recent weeks here in the newsletter and also during Sunday worship, I thought you might enjoy the attached pictures, as they reveal a surprising new alliance – something creative that can only happen when things are not fully differentiated yet, when creative crossing over is still a possibility, as it was when Plymouth was founded.
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