"It's Your Party!"

When I was a child, I always had 'backyard' birthday parties (early September in Georgia). And, I had to work very hard to help my Mother for these momentous events! Each year, my responsibilities increased, so that by the time I was 7, I had to make the guest list, make the invitations, help make the decorations, plan the activities, help make the cake, set the tables, greet everyone as they came and thank them all for coming as they left, help clean up and then,  write thank you notes for all of the gifts I received! One year, I complained about all of the work - after all, it was my birthday party. And, my Mom said, "You're right. It is your party. You are the hostess and you need to provide a great party for your friends to help you celebrate your birthday!"

What I clearly didn't realize then, was that she was using my parties to teach me the skills of hospitality, manners and welcome.

On Saturday, June 16th, FCC will be hosting a really big party - a Strawberry Festival - to support Feed My Starving Children. When our Church Council agreed to host the FMSC event for 2012, we certainly anticipated working hard to generate generous financial contributions from our church members & friends. We also agreed to host this 3rd annual event to use our resources to help it grow as a community-wide event with lots of ongoing support. This Strawberry Festival is a wonderful chance for us to invite all kinds of people to come, learn about FMSC, help feed starving children and become potential supporters in the years to come.

So, with amazing leadership from Marcie Bishop, Toni Sacco, Pam Swieringa, Diane Shafer, Jeanne Yarussi, Jean Wentworth, Cindy Marschner, Joyce Billing and Amy Stoll + Women's Ministry folks.....We're going to have a wonderful party - Our Party. This means we need lots and lots of you to pitch in and help out - with set-up, booth staffing, food serving, clean-up and all kinds of things. Please sign-up or say 'Yes' if someone calls you - an hour or two will make a difference! You will help feed a lot of children - And, as my Mom said, after all, "It's Your Party!"

Blessings Always - Laura Lee

PS - You'll have a lot of fun, too!!