asbury sisters luncheon

I had not realized that today was the official start of Sisters In Faith, the new women's group at Asbury Memorial Church.

All I had known was that several women I knew had been part of last month's luncheon, but I'd never heard of the group.

That made me feel very excluded as a member of a church that prides itself on making sure everyone is included.

I'd almost not attended the luncheon because of that feeling I had...

but I made myself go and give it a chance.

I'm so glad I did!

Apparently, when Linda Combs had started the group, it was to give her a chance to get to know some of the new women.

She had noticed that more often than not, when she looked out of the choir area into the congregation, she knew fewer and fewer people.

So she started out small, inviting a handful of newcomers to her house for casual functions like low-key lunches or dinners.

It grew over the last two years into an unwieldy group of 28 diners at Carey Hilliard's on Skidaway last month, with others that wanted to come.

That's when she approached the church about making it official and holding the next luncheon in Holliday Hall as a potluck affair.

 

And that's what we had today!

Linda asked Michelle Meece, a performer at the Historic Savannah Theatre, to speak with us about her faith journey.

What a wonderful, frank, open talk that was!!!

 

Michelle even had a graph that plotted her times of high faith with her times when her life was going through turmoil!!!

I told her that, as an analytical chemist, I would have never expected to see a graph and applauded her inclusion of that in her discussion.

Just amazing!

After the meal - which we ate on real plates, using real silverware - we all pitched in to clean up and put the tables and chairs back where they belonged.

 

Then we made sure to put our new name tags into the basket for future get-togethers... and to take one of the little purple bags Linda made as parting gifts for each of us.

Yes, I'm so glad I went!

And I had the pleasure of sitting with Robin and Candace and Pam... and that was very nice, too.

I even found myself near Myers Middle School on my way home, so I popped over to visit Sam Johnson.

I cleared the leaves and vines off his grave marker, putting a bunch of bright yellow flowers at its head.

Then I filled two bags with deflated balloons, bedraggled blooms, and miscellaneous items left behind by others.

What a good visit there!

I wonder if Barbara's niece has a marker somewhere that I could visit.

That would be reassuring.

I'll have to ask Sandy if she knows the answer.

(smile!)