Flower Guild Feature

All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. (Mark 4:28)

Consider how the wildflowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. Luke 12:27

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. Isaiah 40:8

Greetings Christ Church Family,

I have been a member of Christ Church for over forty years.  Some things change, but much at this beautiful space stays the same. Worship at our church is comforting to all the senses, the scent of the old wood, the incredible sight of the Tiffany stained-glass windows, hearing the Word of God preached by our Ministers, the melodious and awesome sounds created by our incredible musicians, the shining brass vessels and crosses, the texture of beautiful needlepoint cushions where we kneel to take communion, the gleaming silver chalices from 1819 and 1837, and the Glory of the beautiful crosses. 

As a member of the Altar Guild, I had the privilege of helping create Christmas and Easter altar arrangements. The stunning flowers made the Festival Days glorious! Why couldn’t we tap the talent of many in our congregation that could do floral arrangements on a weekly basis? Well, that thought occurred to me about 15 years ago. Not much happened. 

In 2021, a lot happened, thanks to parishioner Tracey Hedrick – the catalyst that enabled 26 women to want to be a part of something new and fresh. Tracey’s experience with floral design helped us feel confident to create a Flower Guild. With the support of our Rector, clergy and staff, we were ready to take it on. There were enough of us to have 6 teams, each headed up by our own pros! Peggy Zunka, Linda MacIlwaine, Catherine Bolton, Allison Schildwachter, Merry Thomasson and Tracey Hedrick each head up a team of 4 or more faithful souls. Together beautiful arrangements are created each week to Glorify the Cross. 

We began in the fall with a beautiful harvest altar arrangement for Thanksgiving. Tracey led us in that fun endeavor. 

In April, our friend Mary Wright Baylor from the Washington National Cathedral Flower Guild, came to Christ Church and gave us a workshop on making English Garden Style arrangements. 

Maybe you recall seeing the fruit of that exercise in front of the Altar last Easter.