Community Ladies Action & Service Society, designed with today’s busy woman in mind, puts together all the elements of a good women’s group: Spiritual Growth, Sister Care, Home and International Missions, and Concern for the Facilities here at Community Grace Brethren Church. We often enjoy special interest features.
meets the second Saturday of each month. We have guest speakers, as well as our own gifted ladies who share their spiritual growth experiences. We participate in Women of Grace Annual District Retreats and, as a group, have attended Women of Faith events at Arrowhead Pond.
We enjoy sponsoring our own weekend and one-day retreats.
LOCAL MISSIONS: We do service projects, such as providing filled Christmas stockings for Long Beach Rescue Mission, New Life Beginnings’ new moms, and for the folks at Bay Vista Convalescent Hospital across the street. We toured the New Life Beginnings home and presented gifts for use in their house and for their babies. Two years on Valentines Day we brought gifts and hugs to Lydia Lodge (part of Long Beach Rescue Mission) to assure them someone does, indeed, love them: Jesus and us! We took refreshments, sang songs, shared a message and talked and prayed with the women. In 2005, we provided and shipped 100 “care packages” for members of our military in Afghanistan.
FACILITIES: We purchased room-darkening shades for the sanctuary, tiny tables for the 2’s Sunday School classroom, and paint for the 4’s classroom. We helped refurbish our own baby nursery. We chose greenery and silk trees for display. We bought 14 round and 4 rectangle white cotton tablecloths for our church’s dressier events. We arranged for updating the sound system and are planning to buy room-darkening shades in Al Patching Hall.
Throughout our many meetings, we’ve learned to make flower cones, gift boxes, how to recycle familiar items into something new and lovely, which fragrances work best for us, how to accessorize for "fun", how to wear scarves, made Creative Memory photo pages, and learned auto safety tips.
SPIRITUAL GROWTH: We learned to keep a prayer journal. We’ve reviewed books by women authors that challenged or gave us pleasure.
We toured our church library when it opened and followed that with a contest to see who could read the most books from our church library in four months. Eva Wales won with 56 books.
SISTER CARE: Secret Sisters encourage one another year 'round with cards and prayers. A small gift at birthday time adds to the mystery. It’s a special day when we reveal our identities to one another! (Photo of Dee & Kay)
sponsors two big events each year: our Christmas party and Mother’s Day Brunch, Tea or Luncheon. God has been shown in many themes: a Back-to-School “classroom” honoring teachers, aides, and others who teach in public, private or Christian schools; a Bridal Fashion Show wherein mothers’, bridesmaids’ and brides’ gowns were modeled. The oldest gowns - over 50 years – were shown but not worn. Our speaker, Carol Fesmire, thrilled us with thoughts of the Bride of Christ enjoying the Wedding Supper of the Lamb with Jesus.
a Teddy Bear Picnic with our little ones. Eva Covington provided food for our souls, as well as food for our bodies when she shared how much Jesus loves little children.