All Good Gifts...

Roland and Pat Brotz 2011

My earliest memories at church are ones of service all encouraged by Pat Brotz, our youth leader at that time. Can drives, newspaper drives, nursing home service, visiting and helping shut ins. church dinners and plays to support missions. Rolland her husband  helped a lot too.

Lots of fun, with purpose.

Later, these two, Roland and Pat took on the job of running our clothes closet. They have been doing it for years now.

It is getting harder for the two of them , Pat and Roland, to get up and down the stairs and to bring in the donations.But they keep coming, You can't stop them, and believe me I have tried to hold them back a bit. Nope they live to help.

Now they have a lot of wonderful helpers in the closet, too many to mention. Even their own children who no longer attend our church, come and assist weekly. Every Tuesday they (the volunteers) come and help sort out the donations, walk through the closet with customers, migrant workers, families in need, etc. And help in any way they can. They are all ANGELS!

We are lucky enough to have so many people in our church who seek to serve.

Our caring cooks provide meals for people in need all around the community. Sick? Loss of a loved one? Older and shut in, these women and sometimes a man or two, send out food. Once a month they provide food for our community meal, free to the public.  They have a food sale table, when needed,  to support all these services so they can continue to keep on giving to the community.

We have people involved in the local food shelf, keeping our church aware of needs and picking up and delivering the donations. every week.

And that is only the beginning... I am astounded by all "Our Good Gifts!"

In this time of trouble, no jobs, poverty, foreclosure... these are the people who make up the backbones of our community. They give Hope, Renewal. and Encouragement to all.

Do you have people in your community, schools, churches or other organizations who share their "Good Gifts with you?

I hope you do...

I am taking the time out today to share my thanks for all of these wonderful souls.

I hope you do so too... because where would we be without them?

For sharing in a very real way the true meaning of service I Thank you.

For all  Our Good Gifts, we thank you.

God bless you.

Our youth group.
I am in the  in the third row from the bottom second in from the right in the green dress.
Andy is on the top row second in from the left.