For as long as I can remember, back as far as the early 1970’s, I have watched the men and women of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Upper Gullies, Conception Bay South, offer endless hours of their time to serve their Church. These volunteer hours offered by our seniors have taken many forms over the years, some of which I may have never seen. But, the results of all these hours have kept our beautiful, heritage designated, church functioning for decades.
Today, I continue to marvel at the work of these faithful women and men. They continue to do their volunteer service for the church in spite of the fact that they are now in their 80’s. It is also remarkable that these parishioners continue to serve without any “young ones” joining their fold. It seems that the younger generation has come and gone again in our church life, including myself.
On September 24th, 2023, a group of “young ones” (1960 and 1970 babies) came together to admire, celebrate and thank those who have given a lifetime of service to our church. A service of Thanksgiving was held with beautiful music offered by the “young ones”. A slideshow of pictures, to remind our seniors of their service, was presented for their enjoyment. Then to end the morning, a reception was prepared in the parish hall by members of our younger generations. The seniors among us could sit back and be served. They enjoyed a light lunch, music and some “remember when” messages that provoked chatter about days gone by.
This event was a small but an important and necessary gesture to demonstrate to our seniors how much they really are appreciated. We hope that they realize their work has not gone unnoticed. We are grateful for the hours they spent; making and preparing cold plates, jiggs dinners, seal flipper dinners, beans and sausage dinners, pancake dinners, fall fairs, sewing, knitting, crocheting, baking, quilting, lawn mowing, hall cleaning, shawl knitting, home visits, group meetings, money counting, church cleaning, linen washing, silver shining, decorating, fundraising, and the list goes on.
We are amazed at your talents and longevity of service.
Thank you from the younger generation and the whole parish.
