Peoples Senior Community Luncheon

Peoples Senior Community Luncheon

Chef Brad

The latest Senior Community Luncheon was held on April 12, 2018 with the work staff reporting by 9:30 AM at Ellis Hall. We were blessed with the following folks who served in a number of capacities:  Susan, Kathy, Carol, Pam D, Len D, Dan, Ruth, Jody, Rosemary, Joanne, Pam L, Brad, Tom, Barb , Dick S, Keith, Becky S, Art, and Marlene . Duties performed include preparing the meal, setting up and taking down chairs and tables, waiting on the guests and greeting the guests. In order for the success of this activity it is important that those who serve as callers get their calls in before Monday preceding the event.

The tables are ready

Arrival at Ellis Hall is usually by 9:30 AM with guests arriving to simply talk or play games by 10:30AM.

Entertainment began by 11:30 AM with Heather and Mike putting on a musical performance by singing songs that would be familiar to many of the guests and workers

Pam's Spring creation

Heather and Mike

Brad prepared a very tasty meal for the 37 guests and 19 workers who were present on this occasion. The meal consisted of Ham, Green Beans, and Potatoes au gratin, rolls, frosted cupcakes, coffee, tea and water. A very tasty meal once again with kudos to Brad for his planning and preparation. Some of the folks helped Brad in the kitchen plate the food that was then taken by a waiter or waitress assigned to specific tables.

The guests who attend we feel enjoy being together and often find new friends or bring with them folks that they have long associated with.

Plans are in readiness for the next two luncheons. The May luncheon will be on Thursday, May 10 and in June it will be on June 13.

End the Growling

And a Good Time was had by all!

The Outreach van arrives

During the weeks of the Lenten season all of the churches in the Casco Bay Cluster had the opportunity to assist in the collection of monies that would be dedicated to the “End the Growling” campaign through the offerings that were gathered at each Lenten Service. In addition each church was asked to develop teams that would seek donations of money that would be used to purchase the dry good ingredients to make packets of minestrone soup that would feed 6 people. Each team member had a goal of raising $45 per each member of a team.

Unloading begins

Ellis moves bins

Len with a heavy load

Keith helps with cases

On the day before the packing event a number of folks from Peoples showed up to help unpack the Outreach Inc. van of the dry goods, boxes and equipment used in the packing process. Additionally a team placed dated stickers on each of the thousands of packets that would be filled on Saturday.

Pastor Ami is precise

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Peoples sponsored three teams; Peoples Packers, Tuesday morning and Hunger Stoppers. In all 28 people from Peoples would volunteer to pack on one or more of the three teams. Other members of the church may not have been available to help pack but they did help to raise the funds. Peoples alone raised $1329.19 through the team method.

The ingredients for soup packets feed six

Peoples Packers work together

In all there were nine teams with three more from Thornton Heights and one each from Cape Elizabeth and West Scarborough. Another team, I believe, represented a Girl Scout troop. Over the three hours from 10 AM to 1PM the nine teams were responsible for filling 16,200 food packets. The age range of the participants ran from around 8 years of age to 80.

Thornton Heights kids

Tuesday morning group

These packets were packed 36 to the case and 36 cases. They will be distributed to local food cupboards and some will go to Millinocket to help refill their food cupboard.

We thank Janemarie of Outreach and Cori from Thornton Heights UMC, pastors Ami, Dodie and Tom for their presence and help supporting this effort. We also thank Rosemary and others for providing the snacks that were much needed before or after our duty time.

A little posing before we begin

Cori, Pastor Ami and UMW from THUMC

Randi and Marlene take a break

Rosemary and Pastor Tom serve snakcs

CEHS Crew

The last packet is filled at 1:33 PM

Janemarie helps pack West Scarborough

Ellis Hall at 2:30 PM

PUMC to celebrate 100 years of Scout sponsorship

Peoples United Methodist Church in South Portland to mark 100 years since the first sponsorship of a Boy Scout Troop

On January 24, 1908 the Boy Scout movement became official. A Boer War( South Africa) hero by the name of Robert Baden Powell, who later was knighted had come home to England after that war and was responsible for establishing impromptu Boy Scout Troops there. He was the writer of “Scouting for Boys” and later added “Aids to Scouting”. These were originally written for military use, but Baden-Powell adapted them for adolescent boys.

In this same year Baden-Powell and others set up a Boy Scout office and by the end of the year had records indicating that 60,000 boys were now members of the organization in England alone.

Baden-Powell also organized the Wolf Cubs in 1916. Cub Scouts of America followed shortly thereafter.

William Boyce, on a business trip to England, experienced the guidance of a Boy Scout while in the London fog. He came home to the Chicago area and helped incorporate the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910.

Peoples Methodist Episcopal Church of Ferry Village began sponsoring Boy Scout Troop 3 of the South Portland  District  and  received a charter on May 6, 1918. At some time after this, documents indicate the number became 20 and finally in 1929 it became 23 as a member of the Pine Tree Council which incorporated more towns and cities, perhaps a major reason for the designated number change.

There was a break in the sponsorship by Peoples during World War II from 1943 to 1948 perhaps due to the fact that adult males were committed to the war effort. The other factor is that the church was in the process of moving from the village to a new church building on Broadway.

Since 1948, Troop 23 has continued to operate and hundreds of young men have had the opportunity to experience both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts through the Troop and Cub Pack.

As Peoples UMC has continued to be the primary sponsor of these Scout organizations we are humbled by the dedication of both the Scouts and their leaders.

To close out the first 100 years of sponsorship a committee consisting of Earle H, Rosemary H , Tom N and Art T with the help of present Troop leadership, are planning a celebration on Sunday afternoon, May 6, 2018 at 2 o’clock in Ellis Hall.

If you were a part of Troop 23’s life in the past and would like to help us celebrate with your presence please let us know when you were a member and any stories of Scout life that you would like to share either at the event or through an e-mail or letter to any of the folks that you see listed above. If you have Scout memorabilia that you are willing to display at this event please get in touch with us. You may respond with comments on this notice.