Every year Grandma Bardsley invites me to her church for their annual Christmas brunch, I call it the "Christmas Kick Off." Grandma Sue attends
Mariner's Church in Irvine, it is similar to my church, Sandals, in that it started very humbly and had grown to be known as a pretty amazing church.
The brunch consists of all the ladies in their church getting together with friends and family, eating brunch, singing worship songs and listening to a key-note speaker. This year it was really amazing. The speakers name was
Sheila Walsh. An author, speaker, singer and former 700 club co-host. She shared with us her testimony and how God has changed her life and brought her to where she is right. Not only was she funny, and well spoken, she had an amazing singing voice! She has a book called, "Let Go: Live Free of the Burdens All Women Know." I bought one for my mom for Christmas.
We had a great morning of catching up with the ladies and worshiping God. Here are some photos of the festivities. Our tradition is to take photos in front of the Christmas tree after the Brunch is over.
This is a photo of Grandma Sue, Shelley and I by the tree.
This is a photo of the room as you walk in. My camera does not take panoramic photos, there are still more ladies to the left and right of the room. It is quite the event.
The lady to the right is Norma Hanson, Grandma Sue's neighbor. Grandma and Norma have been neighbors for fourty years! They walk together in the mornings to keep fit, they are both in great shape. Jill is Norma's daughter. Jill and Shelley grew up together and Jill attended Westmont College, the school that Colin attended. Jill and her husband Ken met at Westmont and Colin heard so many stories over the years and had visited several times and knew that is where he was supposed to go to college. Jill and Norma are amazing Christian women.
What a day! What an event! What a year!
I have attended Sandals church for almost 12 years. First as a college student, then a married woman, and now as a mom. We've met in 5 different locations (VCC, CBU, CBU parking lot, MBC, and now our own building). The church Pastors and body have challenged me to know Christ and His Word, daily. And I am so thankful that God has given me a church like Sandals to attend and serve.
Flip Flops is the children's ministry, where I currently serve, and my son is loved and nurtured for two services each Sunday. He loves going to visit with friends, and play with their toys. He's still too young to appreciate the Bible study aspect. I am thankful that Sandals has such a fantastic children's ministry (and not just Flip Flops, but that is where I witness it the most).
