Mad Hatter's Tea

NOTES FROM THE MAD HATTER’S TEA



Held at Union Congregational Church, Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Those attending: Linda Carracappa, Joanne Johnson, Edna Drasda, Ruth Bohn, Ginny Chevalier, Chris Falcone, Connie Lebel, Yvonne Murray, Joan Buck. They mentioned that Divine Mercy has responded with the “most enthusiasm” of any of the churches.
In response to an invitation from the ladies at the Union Congregational Church, 8 members of Divine Mercy Parish Guild attended a Mad Hatter’s Tea on March 8. We were warmly greeted at the door by a couple women, were given name tags & a china cup and were told to find the matching saucer and to please sit in the chair at that place setting. We noticed several “other” people cheating on this task, but Divine Mercy representatives were more than willing to meet new people. We chatted for a short time with our tablemates and were then introduced to the guest speaker for the evening – the proprietor of “The Cozy Tea Cart” from Brookline, N. H. We learned about the growing & harvesting of tea – starting with the fact that all types of tea come from the same plant!! After the presentation, including sniffs of many types of tea, we were treated to a cup of tea and assorted delicacies.
The best part of the evening, however, came from our conversations with the ladies of UCC. The president, Carele Mayer, was especially welcoming; and we brainstormed ways that we could share fellowship. We said we would like to return an invitation like tonite’s gathering but that we were hampered by easy access to our hall. They responded quite enthusiastically that we had already extended our hand with the cookie trays we brought to them during the Holiday Stroll. They then suggested that we plan something, invite them and then use their hall. That offer initiated a brainstorming session of how we could work together on community projects and share the resources. Some of those ideas include:
• Working together on a craft project with a particular goal in mind – e.g. hats or quilts for a particular place & bringing them to the recipients. Connie mentioned that she often did these kind of projects when she was teaching school, so that the students would have the complete experience by bringing their items to a nursing home or the Girls Shelter in Antrim, etc. This would be a wonderful extension of the Outreach efforts we are already doing. Linda mentioned that daytime crafts might also connect the daytime group at Divine Mercy to members of both churches.
• Linda mentioned the possibility of sharing our Easter Basket program with the other churches – or some of our other Outreach projects. Starting with our two churches and then extending to other churches.
• Discussion of using their hall for other functions that D. M. might need as it was already used by many groups.
• Ways to engage younger folks in church functions – having members, like Linda, involved in the Guild.
• Offering programs that would include other churches – such as one they had recently on the history of their hall.
• Having some sort of “Advisory Council” – representatives from any of the churches who wanted to participate. This might open up opportunities for members of Divine Mercy to participate in serving community suppers. (Chris & Neil Falcone already do this) Linda & Lauren Martin did involve their CCD students in the past.
We were so excited by this extension of mutual kindness, sense of community, and friendship that all began with those cookies and look forward to our first gathering.