Village Missions Country Partners, Warren Christian Women, held its “Holiday Blessings” luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at the Allegheny Community Center, Warren. Kay Gray and Lee Jones greeted and registered attendees. Nancy Schuyler welcomed guests. The Youth Connection performed, singing Christmas songs as the guests arrived.

Birdie Crandall, chair, welcomed the guests and Karen Zurkan opened the meeting in official prayer. Crandall explained that Village Missions is a non-denominational group with no membership or dues. She explained that our donations help Village Missions with ministry, training pastors, distributing Bibles to children, and saving churches in rural towns with low congregations.

Hostess gifts were won by Pamela Holmes and Dorothy Geer. Karen Zurkan provided the Nativity ornaments.

Musical gues Pamela Holmes of Russell began the program singing the selections, “Come see the One they call Jesus” and “Mary Did You Know?”

Next, brown bags were distributed with surprises in all. Recycled jewelry was exchanged and purchased for donation to Village Missions.

Following lunch, the ACC staff and volunteer servers were honored, thanked, and each presented with a gift card for accommodating our group and providing us with luncheons every month.

In addition, Village Missions Warren Christian women collected warm socks for veterans in November and December.

In November, the club recognized veteran Emil Bundy for giving his memories of his recent Honor Flight trip to Washington, DC, along with Faith Johnson representing Youngsville High School and who will be entering the Air Force after graduation. The school honored the local veterans with gratitude and a send-off on their trip.

Marian Aranyos passed out her Hungarian ethnic cookies called kiffles and black bottom cups; then she showed her homemade Nativity scenes made from beach stones and Allegheny River stones, twigs, and floral moss. She gave a history of the Nativity which was introduced in 1223 by St. Francis of Assisi in order to emphasize that Christmas is the time to focus on worshiping Jesus instead of focusing on materialism and gift-giving. St. Francis depicted the Nativity with live animals along with Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus lying in a manger in a stable. Shepherds were added and the three wise men, who were really counselors and astrologers who studied the stars, completed the scene. When the wise men saw the star in the east, they followed it knowing something special was happening. In Jesus’ time, residents” dwellings were made of stones with mud walls, and the holy family settled in one of these dwellings made like a split level home with the house’s residents living on the top level and the lower level for servants and livestock. Livestock was brought in at night to lower levels of homes to keep them from being stolen by bandits. This is where Mary and Joseph stayed awaiting Jesus’ birth.

Aranyos said she began creating her stone pictures this past summer when she was staying in Virginia Beach taking care of an ill sister following surgery. The only art materials she had were the beach stones, driftwood, and beach grasses to work with. Her first creations were fish from stones, shells, and beach finds which eventually developed into the idea of a Nativity scene after seeing last month’s guest, Christine Roessler, show her beach glass creations, one of which was the Nativity. Any craft becomes a pastime and a form of therapy for many people. Crafts, art, woodworking, quilting, gardening, floral arranging, knitting, and poetry or songwriting are all ways to express our feelings and make ourselves feel good about things we create with our hands and mind. It can be an aid for depression, boredom, loneliness, and gives a sense of accomplishment.

Next, Vi Birchard accompanied Holmes with singing “Blue Christmas” and “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” Finally, chair Crandall invited Martha Backstrom to share her testimony of surviving a serious car accident earlier this past summer. She was a roommate in Rouse rehab with our member, Yvonne Lee, who asked Backstrom to come and share how she put her faith, hope, and strength in the Lord to make her talk positive, be motivated to do her rehab and physical therapy and never give up on her goal of making a complete recovery.

Holmes closed with benediction and sang her last selections with Vi Birchard. The audience joined in the closing songs, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Silent Night.

The next meeting will be the “New Year’s Greetings” luncheon on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at the ACC, 42 Clark St., Warren, from noon to 2 p.m. Featured guest will be Peter Ferrie of Warren with his watercolors. The spiritual speaker will be Linda Dingeldein, wife of the pastor from Calvary Baptist Church, Warren, and music by David Ford of Jamestown, N.Y.

Men, women, and new guests are welcome. A $9 fee covers lunch, program, and speaker. Call-in reservations into Lee Jones at (814) 723-5952 by Jan. 9.