September 6

We express deep appreciation to the congregation for hosting the September 1, 2015 quarterly meeting of the Central Florida Presbytery. Central Florida Presbytery is composed of over 18,000 Presbyterians from about 80 churches in a 10 county region. Each church sends delegates to a quarterly meeting. We hosted about 200 of those delegates this past Tuesday at the meeting. The delegates were highly complimentary of the way they were greeted at Eastminster by elder Steve Adams and his able crew of parking attendants. They entered grounds made beautiful by many members, including several ladies that adopted a bed near our Christian Ministry Center and made it spotless. The registration process ran smoothly as coordinated by elder Nancy Sorensen and a host of volunteers. Members of the Finance Committee turned out and were more than happy to take donations for lunch. The Congregational Care Committee, led by Nancy Marshall recruited 30 volunteers who set up and decorated our fellowship hall and prepared a continental breakfast, a snack and a superb lunch for the delegates. Special thanks go out to Chef Anthony and Susan Vallette who were central to the food preparation. One of the many touches that made the meeting special were the unique floral arrangements prepared every table by a host of volunteers led by Midge Dunn. Not everything runs like it is supposed to, and that's when leadership really kicks in. A video from Colorado that was to be shown as a centerpiece of the meeting was not in a good compatibility format. Given mere minutes to work with it, our own "Geek Squad" led by Don Dawson was able to save the day and show the major part of the video. This was a key "save" as the producers of the film, Thom and Joan Schultz, were present. Great Job! Others who did a wonderful job include our church staff, elder Nancy Fowler who was in charge of displays, Steve Adams who arranged for ushers, and the Children, Youth and Family Ministry team that provided an excellent nursery that was much appreciated by parents. In a word, the Presbytery was inspired! Many people commented on the exceptional spirit, teamwork, beauty of the facilities and the hospitality they received. God is doing some amazing things here through competent, growing Christians. This meeting is one marker of how we are moving along exceptionally well. Let's enjoy it, even as we still have a long journey ahead!