Reformation Day Celebration

Our church, Family Life Assembly, celebrated Reformation Day with a fun-filled fall get-together
on Saturday, October 27  ... & what a grand time we all had!
This was our first time to host this event, but we plan to do it annually.
We are so grateful for our Protestant heritage ... & we couldn't think of a better way
to acknowledge & celebrate it!

It was an all-day event, so there are lots of pictures, but I think you'll enjoy looking through them!

I think this truly was one of my favorite things from the day ... the little FLA Pumpkin Patch!!
Completely adorable ...
I think Linus himself would agree that this was quite a sincere little pumpkin patch, by anyone's standards ;)
Thank you, Carissa, for coming up with this for all of us to enjoy!

Opening remarks from James to get the festivities started~

This is Gunnar & his 'Andy Griffith' boots!
If you've ever seen the Andy Griffith show,

you know that Andy always has his pants leg tucked into his boot!

Al {& others} manned the grill~

We brought our tripod & cooked a big pot of ham & beans over the fire.

Looks like they are all done!

Greg Hensley turns thanks over the food.

And it's time to eat!
Let me tell you, our ladies do not mess around.
They are some of the best cooks you'll find ... generous & hospitable with each & every tasty dish.

I would attempt to list all the delicious dishes, but because there were SO many,
I'd be sure to leave something out.
Let me just say, we had plenty to eat on ... clear into the evening hours.

Loved this Monster Munch ...perfectly packaged in "Give Thanks" bags.
My sister, Lisa, made these.

Jim brought the root beer & boy, it was a hit!

The games for the kiddos were over the top & kept them grinning from ear to ear.
They painted pumpkins, played ring around the pumpkin, & even did some pumpkin bowling!
Thank you Carissa, Natalie, Erica & Aleisa for making sure the little folks had a ball.

 Course, who doesn't love a bouncy house?

The 'big kids' had plenty of fun activities too.
This straw jump was absolutely the highlight of the day!
I wish I could've posted all the pics & videos from this activity ... the facial expressions are priceless.

Another big competition was chopping wood, the sawing contest, & the ax throw.
Lots of manly activities!

Had some corn hole games & even some stilt walking!
{Gunnar built these himself!}

There were some pretty interesting pumpkins that came from the carving contest.

The cross & FLA came in second ... it really looked pretty all lit up.
But taking first place was Garrett & Carissa with 'Respect the 'Stache' pumpkin ;)

Another super neat highlight was our Guest from the Past!
Our first guest was William Bradford {Joe McGill}.
He shared about the difficulties he encountered as he journeyed to America aboard the Mayflower ...
how they claimed America for God!

Our second set of guests were Corrie Ten Boom & her sister, Betsie {Billie & Jennifer Richardson}.
This was so touching & brought tears to many of our eyes as we listened to the hardships they endured.

 Of course, this day was filled with many wonderful guests ~ here are snapshots from throughout the day.

A big thanks to Chris & Jody who put forth a huge special effort in making this day a success!
We are so grateful to both of them.

Another big thanks goes to David, who worked tirelessly all week ... we couldn't have done it without him!

 

And the grand prize for the BEST DRESSED COUPLE of the day?!
It easily goes to David & Jessica Casey!

And saving the best for last, THANKFUL doesn't begin to describe how we feel toward Terry & Paula.
The so graciously offered their beautiful property that was absolutely perfect for our party.
Down to the small details, it couldn't have been nicer ... it was the perfect fit ...
& from the bottom of our hearts, we thank them both!

Family Life Assembly presented them with a love offering & a gorgeous fall basket, put together by Tammy.

And at the end of the day, this is what it's all about ... fellowship with our brothers & sisters in the faith.
Spending time together with family & friends, strengthening the bonds between us
while uplifting & honoring the Lord ... & remembering why we are all here in the first place.
There's really not much more important than these simple things.
It's truly a blessing to be among like-minded people & I do not take it for granted.
Not for one minute.

~Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow.

Psalm 133:1   Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

Psalm 79:13  But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; 
from generation to generation we will recount your praise.

Colossians 1:12  Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance 
of the saints in light.

*Thanks to Wayne & Lisa for sharing pics ~ my camera died half-way through the day.