The Story of Ruth, Boaz, and... Black Bart??!!
March 6, 2014
The Winter Texan Banquet is near and dear to my heart (in case you haven't been able to tell from my recent postings). For years my mother and I had talked about the need to do something special as a church for the Winter Texans while they are here each year. Another Sunday School class had been giving a Valentine Banquet each year and honored the Winter Texans at that. The lady who had been in charge had hurt her back in 2007, and could not take care of the work involved in putting on the dinner. She asked if our Sunday School class could host it that year.
The Valentine dinner never appealed to me, because so many singles won't attend. We wanted something that would include more people. We came up with the idea of a banquet the week after Valentine's Day, with the theme being Charro Days. It was just a few days before the big Charro Days celebration that takes place in our city at the end of February every year. With the help of a very good friend and my mom, we got it planned and carried out in a very short time. The director of Charro Days spoke on the history of the event, and he even loaned us some outstanding decorations for the banquet. We served mountains of Mexican food that was delicious! It was a delightful, successful event.
We wondered if the lady would want her project back the next year, but one day I ran into her in the grocery store and she said she would be happy for us to continue the event in place of the one she had been hosting. So that is how the Winter Texan Banquets got started in 2007. This year will be the eighth Winter Texan Banquet. This will be the seventh one I have been in charge of.
Last year I had gone deaf in the middle of January and saw there was no way I could take care of all the plans for the banquet myself. I didn't want the idea to die, but I just couldn't do it. I talked to the church staff about it and after some thought and planning, they decided to host it themselves in March 2013. It turned out to be an evening filled with laughter and fun. They fixed the food, served it, and put on a skit depicting an old time radio show, loosely based on the story from the Bible, in the book of Ruth about Ruth and Boaz. Somehow, they put in Black Bart. Laughter filled the gym as we watched our staff keep us in stitches. This happens when we least expect it - like the year the staff went on staff retreat to South Padre Island and it turned out to be Biker Weekend. The following Sunday evening, they all came roaring into the auditorium dressed as "bikers" with leather jackets and chains, etc. Riding on Big Wheel children's toys. Our pastor's wife as a gum chewing, sassy biker is a sight to behold.
We are blessed with an amazing staff. They all love the Lord and each other. They have fun being with one another and sometimes "let their hair down" around the rest of us. Well, all except Craig, who doesn't have much hair to "let down". Most of our staff members stay for years and years. We don't have a lot of "turn over" on the staff. Our church school superintendent has been a wonderful addition to the staff (he has now been here a long time, too). He portrayed Black Bart last year. I just don't think my banquet can hold a candle to the one last year. So we are going a different route. We are having a concert of Southern Gospel music.
I think I got off track on my story here. I mentioned in the earliest blogs that I wrote, how the staff helped so much when I first went deaf. They did all they could to keep me involved. I see how so many older people who are hard of hearing, end up choosing to stay home instead of attending church. I have been blessed that the staff has helped in any way they could. I am so thankful that they hosted the banquet last year. It will be different this year in that much of the staff won't be there. Our pastor Steve, (a.k.a. Boaz, and his wife, a.k.a. Ruth) along with our church school superintendent Terry (a.k.a. Black Bart, and his wife, a.k.a. Leah - another addition to the Biblical account), are on a trip to Kenya to help missionaries who are home schooling their children while on the mission field. Our youth minister and his wife are celebrating their wedding anniversary and probably won't be joining us.
Today was slower at the office so Ron said I could run some of my errands. I shopped a little and then spent about an hour with our music minster, Craig, going over details for the banquet. We had a good visit and covered a lot of loose ends that needed attention. I went to the office about noon and spent time doing bookkeeping and then made the programs for the banquet.
After his driving class our oldest grandson joined us and helped me fix supper for all of us. Then he did home work with his sister worked on the tri-fold display board for last year's banquet. It is now finished and looks great.
The display board is done, the programs are ready, a batch of cookies got baked (and they are wonderful!), and we had a lot of fun. What a blessing to have willing helpers as grandchildren.
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