Of the 70+ slides in the end of year review, here are 5 that stand out. Your list may vary. It was a year where we took advantage of opportunities.
The Top 5 in alphabetical order (with links to the slide show) :
2. Flamenco Concert – 3rd annual concert
Why these events and happenings ? 2 keys words – outreach and inreach.
The Village Harvest is a monthly outreach event to help those who finances are strained by giving away fresh produce, canned goods and other staples. We celebrated one year of this ministry by doubling the distribution from 60 to 120 by year’s end. We participated in the Community Give in Fredericksburg which brought in over $1,200. From those to who donate food staples, to those who purchase the fresh produce, to those who help with the monthly distribution, this ministry involves most of the congregation.
The UTO grant will help us repair the kitchen to enable future Village Harvests and other efforts to expand into a larger food presence, possibly cooking classes. Where can we take it ? It’s a positive challenge for us.
The concert is another form of outreach for the community. It was our third one and attracted more people than the first two. In 2014, we had the Episcopal Building Foundation here to encourage us to consider more uses of the building. This is only the tip of the iceberg.
Another area is inreach. The actual Altarpiece restoration won’t happen until 2016 but the Vestry has signed the contract and we are half way in financing to realizing the work in 2015. The documents included in tablets – 10 commandments, the creed and Lord’s Prayer are the foundation of our life here as well as being an outstanding art object.
The internal support system is several things that worked without making a lot of fuss. This includes organized efforts -the Village dinners, monthly coffee hours, Fellowship dinners, the support of parishioners who are ill, the ECW, ECM and the Eucharist ministers. What was unique were the unorganized, spontaneous efforts – 3 families provided vegetables during the summer months and other efforts to support our lives. The new casserole ministry fits in with this. In addition there are many undocumented things you do for others in the Parish.