Flower Committee

Since Norma has had to step back from her duties at SPPC, we've discovered just how much she did! Her shoes are too big to fill by one person, so several people have stepped up to manage part of her roster. One hat she wore was that of flower committee. She asked me to take that on and I agreed.

As that is now one of my tasks, I thought I'd do a little research on why we put flowers in the sanctuary on Sundays and other occasions. I put the question to Google and came up with a lot of instructions on flower arranging! 
Not what I had in mind--but I did glean some relevant information.

Apparently flowers in the sanctuary is a long-standing tradition. Documents show it was part of a church budget during the Tudor era in Britain. When Cromwell deposed the monarchy, the Puritans sought to purify the churches by getting rid of all decoration that could be termed "papish." Candles, silver plate, statues, and clerical vestments all went by the wayside. Church ledgers no longer show expenses for wax or candleholders.
But there is still a line for flowers. Whatever the Puritans thought about decoration, the people insisted on beautifying the sanctuary with flowers.

Many modern churches have what they call "flower ministries." One included a rational for flowers in the sanctuary with these words. "Flowers are alive. They are of God's creation. They are a fragrant offering to the God who created them. They are a symbol of new life in Christ."  
Pretty good reasons to include floral offerings in the Sunday service.

On another site someone had asked how flowers "work" in the service. The answer was that flowers don't need to work, they just are--a symbol and reminder of God's grace to His creation and His people.

The organization of floral offerings differs from church to church. Some invite people to donate money to a flower fund and members of the committee purchase and arrange the flowers. Others have a standing account with a florist who provides weekly flowers for the sanctuary. Some have "rules" about the colour and type of flowers. Some reserve flowers only for special occasions like Easter and Thanksgiving.

At SPPC, I've not seen any rules. Flowers of all types and colours, whether they come from a garden or a florist, are a welcome gift to the congregation and a glory to God. Those who wish to donate flowers can sign up on the list in the narthex, choosing the date and adding a dedication to the bulletin if the flowers mark some special occasion like a birthday, anniversary or memorial.

After service flowers may be distributed to our shut-in members or shared with hospital patients, or they may be taken home and enjoyed by the donor. It's your call.

One other thing I've discovered since Norma asked me to take on this function. I consider "committee" a misnomer as I am "it." If anyone would like to share this ministry, please talk to Alice. :-)