"Virtual" Strawberry Fest 2020
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
When Pastor Kathi Elliott realized that we would not be able to hold our annual Strawberry Fest in 2020 due to guidelines for safety surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, she began to think of what might be able to replace the beloved community event. One Sunday morning, she awoke and remembered a poem she had written 15 years ago. It begins: "Today, someone brought me strawberries. 'Fresh from the garden, dirt and all!', she said as she placed the bowl on my desk. I don't know if they were the first fruits from the patch, but they must have been among the first. As soon as she left I popped one in my mouth! Mmmmmmmm... Nothing could have pleased me more in that moment. How pleased God must be when I lay the fruit of my life, dirt and all, at His/Her Holy feet!"
That was all it took to get the wheels turing. WHAT IF?, she wondered. What if we encourage the people of the community to offer up the Fruit of the Spirit to one another this year!? What if we remind one another that, even in this time of social distancing, we can STILL come together as a community? What if we give BACK this year to the wonderful people of Terre Haute who support us every year?
Here's how:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
When Pastor Kathi Elliott realized that we would not be able to hold our annual Strawberry Fest in 2020 due to guidelines for safety surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, she began to think of what might be able to replace the beloved community event. One Sunday morning, she awoke and remembered a poem she had written 15 years ago. It begins: "Today, someone brought me strawberries. 'Fresh from the garden, dirt and all!', she said as she placed the bowl on my desk. I don't know if they were the first fruits from the patch, but they must have been among the first. As soon as she left I popped one in my mouth! Mmmmmmmm... Nothing could have pleased me more in that moment. How pleased God must be when I lay the fruit of my life, dirt and all, at His/Her Holy feet!"
That was all it took to get the wheels turing. WHAT IF?, she wondered. What if we encourage the people of the community to offer up the Fruit of the Spirit to one another this year!? What if we remind one another that, even in this time of social distancing, we can STILL come together as a community? What if we give BACK this year to the wonderful people of Terre Haute who support us every year?
Here's how:
- In the weeks leading up to the normal date of the Strawberry Fest, find ways to do acts of love, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Take photos or write stories of what you do and post them to social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) using the hashtag: #FirstChurchTHFirstFruits. If you don't have a way to access social media, come by the church on June 11th between 1 and 4 pm. We'll be out front with the Strawberry Horse-- you can share your stories and we'll post them for you!
- We are working on getting "Strawberry Treat bags" for children up to age 12. You may pick those up on June 11th also between 1 and 4. There will be ideas for your children on how to share THEIR Fruit of the Spirit with others.
- If you are a "Terre Haute Rocks" member, we would love to enlist your help in painting rocks with strawberries and hiding them all over the community. This to remind people to do their acts of love, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We'll be hiding a few of our own, and there will be 5 with a special CODE on them (It's a secret, so don't ask what it is!) If you bring your rock with that CODE to next year's festival, come and find Pastor Kathi at the children's booth, and you will receive at coupon for a free "WORKS".
- Let us hear from you with how you have given back to the community! We can be "Terre Haute Strong"!
WORSHIP ONLINE
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Beginning May 17th, worship will be livestreamed on Facebook (no account needed)
10 a.m. by following this link: www.facebook.com/630OhioStreetTerreHaute/
We will hold a ZOOM "Coffee Fellowship" after worship at @ 11 am Sunday and Bible Study via ZOOM on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.
Contact Pastor Kathi for an invitation link. pastorkathielliott@gmail.com
Sunday worship: 10:00 A.M. - Traditional service (child care provided)
First Congregational Church 630 Ohio Terre Haute, Indiana 47807 812.232.8880
info@firstchurchth.org
First Congregational Church of Terre Haute is part of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches.
