Special Times Of Fellowship

Families should spend more time together. Our fast paced world has many of our families pulled in different directions as our various activities keep us going at a break neck speed. Sometimes we just need to slow down - come together as a family - break bread together - visit - talk - and laugh! We need that time to share our concerns, encourage one another, catch up on what's new in our loved ones lives, and just tighten the bond that is family. Families need that special time together. The same thing goes for the church family.

The Westmoreland Baptist Church family had one of those special times this past Sunday afternoon.

Four times a year there falls a month with five Sundays. For some time we have used those fifth Sundays as a time when our church would come together for a Fellowship Dinner. There are other times during the year when we gather together for special meals - sponsored by our youth group, or fellowship times having coffee and desserts after some special event, or to mark a holiday or other special occasion. This year December has five Sundays so it is time for our regular church wide fellowship. Rather than having it on the fifth Sunday this month (between Christmas and New Years) we opted to move it up till December 8th for a special Church Christmas Fellowship. To say that it was a success would be an understatement.

For several years, the Fifth Sunday Dinners were hosted by our "Hostess Committee". This is a dedicated group of ladies who carried the load of planning, serving and cleanup for every dinner. They did a great job, but the truth of the matter is that they (and a couple of their husbands) carried the full load by themselves. It also fell to this group of ladies to prepare "bereavement meals" for families who had lost a loved one and gathered in after the funeral for a special time together. Obviously you can't schedule that kind of event. On one particular month this year, they cooked and served meals for SIX different families! It was obvious that they were over worked. Furthermore, they were rarely able to enjoy the Fifth Sunday Fellowships due to the fact that they worked all of them. They were willing, and faithful, but it just didn't seem fair - so we came up with a different concept for our Fifth Sunday Dinners and so far it is working very well!

We didn't abolish the "Hostess Committee" but changed their name and duties to that of a "Bereavement Team" who would continue to coordinate the family meals after funerals. That in itself can be a big job, and we never know when they will need to spring into action. But to give them a bit of a break, and to give others an opportunity to serve, we changed the way we do the Fifth Sunday Fellowship Dinners.

We chose Bob and Becky Moses to a newly created position of "Fellowship Coordinators". Their responsibility would be to plan and coordinate the regular Fifth Sunday Dinners (and other special fellowship events throughout the year), and to recruit Sunday School Classes and other groups to host the dinners. These volunteer groups would take on the responsibility of set up, decorations, coordination, serving, and cleaning up after the meals. All of the meals are of the "pot luck" variety, so the host group doesn't have to do all of the cooking - they just have to put the event together and pull it off.

We have had two Fifth Sunday Fellowships under the new system and the results have been terrific. The first of the two was hosted by Al Dienes' "Kings Children" Sunday School class and they did a wonderful job, setting the bar high for those who would follow. That dinner was held just after the Morning Worship Service. Attendance was good. The King's Children's Class had decorated the gym and the tables in a fall mode and the setting was really welcoming. Most of our congregation pitched in, bringing a covered dish or two and many brought delicious desserts. Those who had been a little apprehensive about the new system seemed to be relieved that it worked very well.

The next scheduled event was this past Sunday. Terry Perdue's "Seekers Class" volunteered to host this event and what a wonderful job they did! They set the meal time for 5:00 PM (different than the usual noon time meal) to lead in to our Rainbow Kids Children's Choir's Christmas Program at 7:00. Some folks feared that the later time might not be as well attended as the usual after church, noon time event. Those concerns were soon proven needless. The gym was full. Every table was utilized and the crowd was enthusiastic - even though the night was cool and rainfall was heavy. Food was in abundance, and the fellowship was really special. A number of our newer members were in attendance, and it was a great way for folks to get acquainted. The Seeker's Class decorated the place beautifully, and had even planned a brief interactive after dinner program hosted by Mel Hicks. A little "living room" area was set up at one end of the gym, complete with Christmas Tree, fireplace and decorations. All the children were called up to hear Tom Wood read the Christmas Story from Luke chapter 2. Carla Bell led the group in singing some Christmas Carols, and at the close of the event, everyone in attendance was invited to come by and help themselves to one of the ornaments from the tree.

A lot of work went into both of these events, but it was well worth it. The new system is proving to be successful in that, the church family is enjoying a great time together; more of our members are being involved in planning and serving; Sunday School classes are working as a team; and that one group of hard working ladies doesn't have to shoulder the whole load. Now they can enjoy the meals like all the rest of us. It may seem like a small thing to some - but I believe it is a real boon to our church, by involving more of our folks in ministry and fellowship.

The next fifth Sunday is in March. The "Thirty Something" and "Pairs and Spares" classes have volunteered to host that dinner. Knowing the folks in those classes, I have no doubt it will be a great success as well.