St. Andrew United Methodist Women 'fall' into fellowship

CLEVELAND—“Find one red leaf, one yellow leaf, one brown leaf, one twig, one acorn, one pine cone and one feather” was the challenge given to 15 St. Andrew United Methodist Church, Easley, women as we began our hike.

Oct. 29 was a beautiful fall day at Asbury Hills United Methodist Camp in the Upstate. It was perfect for trekking the woods, observing God’s glory and collecting a little bit of it for our assignment. Later we would learn how each item related to our lives and our walks with God.

During the remainder of the morning, some of us took further hikes where we talked and laughed and got to know one another better, while others enjoyed the porch rocking chairs, the sun’s warmth and the supportive fellowship.

After lunch, we discovered that one’s handbag could reveal both funny and surprising facts about a woman. That exercise—with prizes awarded—after a delicious lunch energized and prepared us for our mission work. And what a wonderful project it was! A mother/daughter team and our St Andrew United Methodist Women president set up three sewing machines and laid out a variety of materials for our “fidget mats.” We were to sew and decorate the mats for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients residing at a facility near our church.

Each lady chose her own “fidget” items to arrange and sew onto our mats. Items such as bells, zippers, satin ribbon, buttons and button holes, cotton balls and a plastic picture holder will occupy their hands and offer tactile, audible and visual stimulation. All of us felt enriched and blessed to be part of such a wonderful outreach.

Too quickly our memorable day, encircled within God’s wonders and Christian unity, had to end. As one of the ladies said, “We enjoyed a day of worship, fun and fellowship.”