Skip to content

Evergreen Outreach

By Charlene M. Jett
This past Monday will be known as the day after the tornadoes. I think more than seven  counties were declared disasters. More about being thankful and grateful later!
We missed Betty Stolte at the piano, since she was having surgery. We sang “Happy Birthday” (out of key and off tune – Betty would NOT be proud of us) to her, Annie Ledbetter, Genevieve Revis and Lee Poe.
Our entertainers were Judy Varga and Randy Schukar, with master of electronics and heavy lifting – Bob Varga. But first, the Rev. Roger Grimmett from the First United Methodist Church led our devotions.
Now we get to discuss being grateful.  I don’t know if St. Elmo and Altamont were hit by the tornadoes, but I know they were close. So, we are grateful in massive doses –  by the bucket, by the truck and by the ton. This is what Rev. Grimmett was talking about – more than in moderation. God wants us in control of our emotions all the time. We should never leave our emotions out on our sleeve and let circumstances jerk us around all the time. In other words, we should be protective of ourselves and others in this world. We should love God so much that we can be like Paul and find contentment and joy in ordinary life. These things can be a friendly face, a friendship and relationships. These are things that money cannot buy. They are treasures that come through grace and our relationship with Jesus. And with that in our heart, Rev. Grimmett turned the program over to Judy Varga to let the fun begin.
Randy Schukar gave a rousing rendition of “Over in Glory Land.” I mean we didn’t even have to get warmed-up. He nailed it the first time! What fun! In case you haven’t joined us at EO, or heard Randy and Judy sing at other places, let me tell you about their enthusiasm, grace and charm. They play mostly country for us at Evergreen Outreach, but there are a few exceptions, and they are memorable. No, I’m not talking about the lovely classic voice Judy has, I’m talking about our “Chicken Dance” – silly! Our “Locomotion” – a train dance that defies the structure and form of any organized meeting or performance, and totally disintegrates into sweet togetherness and gentle chaos.
Randy and Judy played to a packed room this week, and we (I’m part dancer and part writer) continued to dance in circles, short lines, pairs, triplets, quadruplets and big long lines of nonsense. No technical dance steps were measured, only smiles and laughs. I think a computer programmer would go NUTS with this much disorganization, but we focused on fun for everyone present.
Now let me tell you about Brenda. She may be a little hesitant at first, but when she dances, she can get the rest of us going. This week, we incorporated “Walk Like an Egyptian” into our regular EO dance. I think even King Tut would have had fun! Our color-coded bright green shirts help identify the regular hearty souls participating in the celebration of gratitude.
We are all grateful for Phyllis Rames, who founded and sponsors this weekly celebration of the love and joy of Jesus Christ. Please join us for our regular meetings in Wesley Hall at First United Methodist Church in Vandalia on Mondays at 1p.m.  Everyone is welcome, especially YOU! See you soon.

Leave a Comment