Crafty-Ladies-and-Gents

The Crafty Ladies & Gents, one of the fund-raising arms at Memorial, has been in existence for approximately 50 years. Even though the organization had not been given its official name at that time, it was originally organized as a women's group who creatively made crafts to sell in order to earn money for church repairs. Emma Kohlhoss and other women of the church would meet in the old church parsonage to make the craft items to be sold at The Lord’s Acre Festival.

In the early 1980’s when Thelma Grubb retired, she began having the ladies come to her home once a week to make the beautiful homemade crafts. Lloyd Grubb, being known for his ability to make wooden craft items, invited some of the men to join him in that endeavor. It was during this time that the "The Crafty Ladies & Gents” name originated. As Thelma stated, “It was a time to socialize as a group, while using our hands to make the much-in-demand crafts items to sell for the benefit of the church.”

Around the latter part of the 90’s, the homemade craft items were no longer in demand and did not bring the money as they once did. With much thought and prayer, The Crafty Ladies & Gents decided to embark on a new venture. When the new 11,600 square foot addition was completed in late 1997, The Crafty Ladies paid to furnish the kitchen with commercial equipment and more recently installed blinds in the education wing, drapes in the McDonald Center and redecorated the ladies room with custom vanity, paint, pictures, etc. In March 2010 we purchased the new front lawn Electronic Sign for the Church. They have also monetarily supported the church’s Endowment Fund and the Memorial Cares Fund for support of people in need both in our own congregation and the local community.

Today, The Crafty Ladies & Gents meet once a month at church or a member’s home to plan their fundraising and social events. They begin the year with the Annual Spaghetti Dinner and end with the Annual Holiday Bazaar. Lots of activities fall between these two dates, including catering dinners for groups, bake sales, sandwich sales, flea markets, etc., and helping with the Lord’s Acre Festival and Poolesville Day. With the money earned, the Crafty Ladies & Gents have made many cosmetic improvements to the church.

However, without the support of the entire church body, and the surrounding areas, this organization would not have survived or been able to accomplish what it has through the changing years. We sincerely thank everyone for their support.

We invite all members of the congregation to join this group, all ages. It is a great time of fellowship and you can also help the church and community at the same time. Look for upcoming meetings and activities on the Church Website and the Church Bulletin Boards. If you have any questions or concerns, please speak with any member of the group or contact us though our email address: craftyladyngent@aol.com.

The blessing of the Lord be upon you…

Psalm 129:8

Crafty Ladies and Gents

One reason United Methodists are able to accomplish great things is the church’s emphasis on “connectionalism.” It is common to hear United Methodist leaders speak of the denomination as “the connection.” This concept has been central to Methodism from its beginning.

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