What's all this about?A Church Family Calendar for 2005I've not managed to reach everyone, so this is my attempt at putting this right. In October I didn't buy poppies that year, instead I bought six calendars from the BLESMA homes. I don't normally buy that many calendars. I bought the first lot unseen solely due to the spunk value of the men themselves. One thing that made my antennae rise up and tweak, was that they all said what a great community spirit the calendar had produced and what fun they had had making it. This all inspired me to produce a calendar for our church. I'm proud to belong to such a lively and caring church and I wanted photographs to bear witness to my views. I've consulted printers and had to sit down when I heard their quotes! I then thought the only way we could possibly proceed with this idea was to have sponsors for the pages. I set about asking businesses to sponsor a business card sized advert for £30, or £35 if they wanted a specific month, and sent out over 70 letters. I wanted the calendar to be a church family calendar and asked for two liner sponsorship from the members. This was done via a plea from the pulpit and in News from the Pews, but I still found many people had not heard of the calendar. Phil and I are celebrating our ruby wedding anniversary in February, and Ray and Edna Armstrong have a ruby wedding too. Peter and Christine are having their silver anniversary next year also. I have had people celebrating their husband's lives, and several families glad to add their sponsorship because they have been happy in the church for a long time. My most treasured entry to date is a very proud grandma announcing that her grandson has been chosen for the Special Olympics— he is great at horse riding. Does that inspire you to add your celebration? We have had a 21st birthday come in and our daughter is celebrating her 40th birthday at the end of the year. She doesn't know she will be included, and will only find out when we give her a calendar! (Two liners cost £20.) There is something everyone can do for this calendar and that is to pray. There is no excuse this really does mean you! I cannot do this job on my own and sometimes the weight of it is pretty heavy on my shoulders, but with God's help I know I will succeed, so please keep praying. I have been to the Group Scout meeting to enthuse the leaders of Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. I am about to go to the Brownies and Guides with my 'disability hat' and 'Guide Dogs for the Blind hat' (we had a guide dog puppy to train called Lincoln), as well as my 'co-ordinator for the calendar hat' on. I am running a competition to involve all the children of the church from 5 to 17. A disposable camera will be the prize for each group. This is to produce fun ideas from the children for their own group's photograph. Everyone in a group can come up with a fun photograph if they let their imaginations run riot. I hope I'm going to be inundated with photographs. Phil and I will have to take the actual photographs as the printer wants them all of the same standard and done digitally. There will be a small committee to decide which photographs will be included to produce a balanced product. The calendar will be approximately £5 and I hope it will be I have had some wonderful support and kindnesses along the way. I started this as a Building Together project, but not of the monetary kind. I think the calendar is pulling people together already. It may of course, introduce a bit of friendly rivalry between groups, but that is healthy! Who knows what spin-offs might come from all of this? Maybe a photographic society open to young children through to children of 90-odd. We will only be limited by our imaginations and mine is flying at the moment and I hope I have enthused you too. |
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2003, I heard a story on Radio Lancashire from a home for ex-soldiers,
in Blackpool. They had seen the film Calendar Girls and came away thinking;
"If the WI can do it, we can
do it!" What is more they did just that. These men were in their
80s and 90s and although some of them were limbless they dressed up as
women and produced a calendar.
available
at the beginning of September. Please save some money for this momentous
never-to-be-repeated offer. I hope to set up a team of Calendar Boys and
Calendar Girls (I use boys and girls loosely you understand) to sell the
calendars. Please shop early for Christmas and buy one. This would make
a lovely present for friends who have moved away from the district but
who still have connections with the church. Please spread the word.