Theme: Life is Like a Box of Chocolates – Hosts: Bethania
Women making chocolate flower bouquets
A beautiful day – plenty of sunshine – much fellowship. (The floral displays incorporated chocolates in amongst the flowers.)
After morning tea in the foyer of Bethania Lutheran Church, we moved into the church with seating around tables. President of Bethania Ladies Fellowship, Chris McDermott, welcomed everyone. Fifty ladies from the BS&GC Zone and ladies from LWQ plus 4 gentlemen gathered. Zone President, Naomi Marks, welcomed visitors and opened the rally, with us singing All Creatures of Our God and King to start the day.
Zone Counsellor Pastor Peter Laihia based his devotion on Matthew 7:7,8: Knock and the door will be open. What have we been asking? We have a prosperous country, reasonable income, protection for family and funds. God gives abundantly and generously. Thank you, God. The Life is Like a Box of Chocolates theme can be likened to Jeremiah 29:11: I know the plans I have for you. He knows us better than we do. His plans are unique for us. You do not know what you get until you open them. He gives us hope and a future. Our goal: eternity in heaven. Pastor Peter played an audio from the movie, Forrest Gump at the bus stop offering chocolates to a lady, where he said, “My Mum always said ‘life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you are going to get’ ”. He went on to say to the lady “You have red shoes, shoes tell a lot … where they go, where they have been”. It was polite of Forrest to offer his chocolates. We can keep offering the Word of God … we want others to hear the Gospel of the Lord and our eternal gift. Ask and it will be given to you as you share ‘where and when’ with others.
The offering was $600 which will be forwarded to the BS&GC Zone Project 2019: PNG Solar Panels.
In memory of six members who passed away this year we sang Yours is the Glory.
We all enjoyed an activity: ‘Life is like a Box of Chocolates’. Sharon Tegan lead us step by step in making our very own box of chocolates flower arrangement. A box of chocolates to share with others. Karen Stiller shared with us a brief ‘History of Chocolate’ after which Kaye Rossmann brought us a beautiful box of thank-yous.
We sang our last song, One more Step along the Way I go. Then in closing, Pastor Peter Laihia thanked us as a Zone and let us know that God appreciates us in the BS&GC Zone, LWQ and LWA for all the work that he sees us do. The gold hearts in our bouquets, that we made today, reminds me of hearts of gold and good work that we do. In Lent we are reminded of Christ our crucified Lord and his good work.
The morning concluded with grace and lunch hosted by Bethania Ladies Fellowship.
A great day of surprises and gifts in a box.
Karen Hauser
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