It means lots of things (including the likelihood that I will edit this later to include some facet or group that I have forgotten to mention). SCS students sacrifice their food service and have to brown-bag it for the day before (today) since the kitchen is needed for two days almost continuously to make this happen. Some SCS kids pitch in to earn some required community service hours or just to serve because they want to. It means custodial staff working hard to set up tables and chairs, and cheerfully being available to help with numerous other things that come up in the course of the preparation. It means volunteers who take care of ticket sales for a $20 gourmet dinner that rivals one at any classy restaurant with a much higher pricetag. It means countless hours of preparation by Pastor Rich, missions committee and church office staff. It means tech support to set up for sound and a projector with Tommy P. and Bob Z. climbing on some gizmo on wheels that seems to work by electric power and raises them up to the ceiling to access the ceiling projector and make sure the settings are right. It means hours of cutting potatoes, washing dishes, polishing flatware, making sure table settings are just so (cup handles pointing to 5:00!) It means elementary kids and twenty-or-thirty-somethings, teens and grandparents, singles and marrieds, kitchen staff, and missions committee members working side-by-side to prepare for an event that will allow all to connect and grow in their appreciation one for another, and in their vision for reaching the world for Christ.
Our Spain team members are part of the crew. Some, like Alba, Art, Kathy, Luis, and I came today after 3pm to help wherever we could, and others are coming tomorrow to pitch in. As summer missions team members it is part of our preparation requirements, but it is already been a good getting-to-know-you-team-building experience. Who knew that polishing flatware and matching forks could be so much fun?
Looks like it will be a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteIt is really well done. So many years of doing it -- the banquet kicks off the Missions Convention which will run through Wednesday this week -- and so many hands in the mix, it flows like a well oiled machine. But it is set up to not only let missionaries connect with church folk, but also with actually ministry times -- classes during the week -- for missionaries to come and just receive and be refreshed. It really is a wonderful time.
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