Ladies Hold Lemonade Party to Raise Funds for Salvation Army International Efforts

Note: all COVID-19 health and safety guidelines were upheld during this gathering.

While the pandemic may have prevented typical gatherings, the ladies at The Salvation Army Fredericton Church still found a way to safely connect – backyard style.

“Eleven of our women’s fellowship ladies met for the first time since COVID-19 for an outdoor lemonade party. We had really missed seeing each other.” Major Renee Dearing explains. “Each lady was asked to bring their chair and a sandwich for lunch.”

Each Salvation Army church offers a Women’s Ministry, where ladies of all ages come together for worship, conversation and to build life-long friendships.

From a safe distance, the ladies spent the afternoon chatting and singing. Major Renée, who hosted the event, asked each lady to share a story of how they took the lemons in their lives and made them into lemonade during the pandemic. “We reflected on Romans 8:28 and sang ‘Creator, come create in me,’” she explains.

Though it has been several weeks since they met at a traditional church setting, the ladies didn’t forget the necessity of raising funds for the Territorial Project – an initiative run by Salvation Army World Missions to bring vital resources and programs to communities around the world.

“We have been intentional about raising and saving a little money on our own for our Territorial Project and Brighter Futures project even throughout the months of COVID-19,” Renee says. “We collected over a hundred dollars at the lemonade party.”

Although the ladies had to resist hugging one another, the day was still filled with joy and happiness. “The ladies enjoyed the fellowship very much and want to have another such event soon,” says Renee.

By: Jan Keats