MINISTER’S ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

 Thank you Congregation!!

 Thank you all for your cooperation in helping to "pull off" Our Ministers' Surprise Celebration on March 12, celebrating anniversaries for Reverends Castner, Gerber and Good.

From the first call I made for help to Marianne Baez and one of the last to Charlie and Elin Larson, everyone offered 100% more than was asked for. It took many people to make this Surprise happen and I will try to thank everyone between Marianne and The Larsons:

THANK YOU………….

·                    To Bob Regan and the Senior Choir for a glorious prelude and for all your secret rehearsals.

·                    To Karen Nelson for the organ postlude, and Jill Hautaniemi for reading the Proclamation,

·                    To Juan Burgos, Tu Nguyen and Tedd Levy for setting up and cleaning up.

·                    To Natalie Fogg, Joyce Swanson and Jeanne Thomas for coordinating the donations of food, and to the entire crew they recruited for kitchen duty.

·                    To the Deacons who did the mailing, Jeanne Thomas, Barbara Hack, Mary Charlton, and Lisa Donovan.

·                    To George Willauer who edited my letter for the mailing and read greetings from Manny Red Bear from Green Grass

·                    To Olwen Logan who now adds escort to DOD responsibilities, and to Eve Todd for reading a greeting from Koinonia.

·                    To Phil Simmons who collected the special gift of moneys, and to all who contributed and sent notes of greeting and congratulations to the ministers.

·                    To the Church School classes and Margie Green for the Tree of Life vases you made for each minister.

·                    To Cathy Zall, special appreciation for your work in helping us with the many details and "hitches", and to the PFers who made cards and posters.

·                    To Joel Spinetti and The All Age Choir yet another "100% more example"  for sharing his arrangement of Psalm 100, and for the piano and violin duets with Bruce Maxwell that were so great for the occasion.

·                    To the Church Council represented by Doug McCracken . He and his family acted as the "security team", posting signs, and watching doors, then got drafted for KP duty!

·                    To the many invited guests who joined us including members of The Madry Temple, Rev. Kent Siladi, the South Central Regional Conference Minister for the CT  UCC Conference who brought greetings from Conference Minister Davida Crabtree, and to the "We Refuse to Be Enemies" group who had two presenters, Hassan Fouda and Ahlam Shalaut.  And to Jerry Fisher, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Southeastern CT, who also brought congratulations.

·                    To Don Gonci for representing the Board of Trustees and for giving Ned Castner a personal tribute and reading a letter from the Presbytery.

·                    To Bob McCracken for his professional "MC" talents, his banner making techniques, and for words of congratulations to the Ministers.

Thank you everyone for the fellowship that showed affection and appreciation
 for the work and leadership of our Ministers.

You all make this church a Congregation!

To God belongs the Glory!
                   Sincerely,
                   Carol Levy
                   Chair, Board of Deacons  

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1st Congregational Church of Old Lyme
Last modified: 07/23/11