Broadway Christmas Ministry
Before 2005 every Christmas season Kenneth and I were saddened by the lack of celebration and decorations at Broadway during the beautiful season when we celebrate Christ’s birth. For years we and several of our Anchors Class friends would visit other churches with our grown children or friends to celebrate in special ways. Kenneth was convinced we should buy a Christmas tree and offer poinsettias to those who wished to honor or memorialize loved ones at Broadway. Would our church support this? How do we start?
I called the Lakeridge United Methodist Church for suggestions and we used their order form and booklet of “Loved ones remembered” to formulate our own. After calling several sources for poinsettias we decided on Ivy Gardens. Mark Ivy and his family have been a delight to work with all these years. They consider us to be good friends as well as customers.
The next step was to see if our class would be willing to participate. Thanks to the elders in our class, Craig McDonald and Glenn Morgan, Kenneth and I were encouraged to carry on by providing the first Christmas tree, which we placed in the foyer and later in the auditorium. The class was on Board!
We took orders from the congregation throughout the month of November. When the number of sold poinsettias was revealed, we were astonished! One hundred fifty three had been sold! Perhaps we were naive, but we never heard a negative remark, only positive reinforcement. Praise God! Since that first year, 2005, we have sold many each year.
This project would be impossible without the staff’s help. Had it not been for the support and help from Tracey Horne, Angela Gschwend, and most recently Camille Whitney, to name a few, the Christmas ministry would never have come to fruition. They help formulate the order blanks, collect the money, and create announcements in the Broadway Family News, Camille also created the booklet that lists participants, honorariums, and memorials, it is a BIG job. Thanks You!
The procedure is involved, but thanks to Anchors class, this dream became a reality. We ask the class every year to volunteer to decorate the tree and auditorium with wreaths, to arrange the poinsettias and to water them twice a week until they are taken home. Looking back at the sign-in sheets is so sweet yet sad. So many of our participants have gone on to be with the Lord or moved away. But we’re not through yet!
We can’t discuss this Christmas ministry without thanking Darla Drum, with the assistance of her husband Crockett, for adding her special artistic touches to our auditorium by providing and creating wreaths, garlands, and foyer arrangements every year. Darla decorates the stage with her beautiful garlands and lights, we are so grateful for her hard work. Thank you, Darla and Crockett.
This is the story of a beautiful tradition that began in 2005 and is still as strong as ever. We feel God has blessed it. And that is why it is successful. Thank you to each of you who honor and supports the Broadway Christmas Ministry.
Ann Kerr