Hospitality

Last night at church we had our 14th annual Ladies Hospitality Banquet.  It is a fabulous evening where each lady hosts a table of eight seats and decorates her table however she wishes.  From the finest china to simple paper plates, each table was beautiful and elegant.  It is by far my most favorite event we do at my church.  The idea is to invite unchurched or unsaved ladies to hear the gospel and possibly accept Christ.  I do try to each year to invite some of my unsaved and unchurched friends but I also like to include some of my friends who are in low spots in their lives and just need some encouragement and fellowship with other believers.  I also include some family members like my mom because....well, she is my mom.  We always have a speaker and some wonderful music from either an individual or a group.  Our speaker this year was Reba Bowman.  She was great and I will never read the book of Ruth in the Bible again without using her accents and scenarios....very funny.  But the gospel was so evident last night.  Several women accepted Jesus as their Savior and many women said they were refreshed and many rededicated their lives back to Christ.  It is the one event that I participate in that I really feel that God uses me.  I usually host four tables but this year I scaled way back and only did one.  I invited two co-workers who are unsaved and do not go to church.  They both really had a great time and though neither one told me she accepted Christ I know that seeds were planted.  My mother and her sister came and so did one of my cousins.  Also two friends from church who have both been going through very hard things right now.  My aunt that came just struggles with issues and choices that just control her life and my cousin is the sweetest woman but she is so bound in worry and fear.  I just pray that each of them heard what God wanted for them to hear and lets it sink in their hearts and radiate out through their lives.  My sweet daughters hosted a table together for their friends who all said they were amazed and blessed by the whole evening.  Here are some photos I took....so many tables were just gorgeous but I will just post a few....


This is the table my girls decorated.  Kind of a cowgirl theme.  So pretty!

This is my table.  I used my old reliable Thanksgiving theme.  It is my favorite holiday!

This was our stage.  I was so pretty in the low lighting and it made us all feel very Christmasy!

I love these pilgrims on this table.  And her chair coverings were so pretty.

This lady uses this giant gingerbread house she has and it is just gorgeous in person!

Our children's pastor and youth pastors wives did this table.  Such sweet ladies.