Heritage Day

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
 
  I wish I could speak with each of you under better and more cheerful circumstances.  There have been several events that have taken place these past few weeks that I need to update all of you on.  For the past month, we have had many members of FELC tell us that their heart and mind was not into supporting the 2011 Heritage Day Celebration.  Many people felt that there were other much larger issues taking place at FELC, that their heart and mind was not into doing Heritage Day.  Many of them said that FELC must heal itself as a congregation first, before putting on Heritage Day.
 
  It is not just one group that has decided not to volunteer at Heritage Day this year....it is people who volunteer at all aspects of Heritage Day.  This involves people who donate auction items/cakes/desserts, people who bid on auction items, delivery of BBQ plates, food preparation & service, and countless others who will serve in any capacity at Heritage Day.  The people who have decided that Heritage Day was not in their hearts this year are BIG supporters of Heritage Day.  These people are the "backbone" of our Heritage Day team.  We all know that every year Heritage Day gets bigger and bigger....there is more and more jobs/functions that need to be done.  With a reduction of people willing to volunteer and help, it is very, very difficult to run Heritage Day as it is.  All of you know how much work and planning goes into Heritage Day and how many hours we spend up at church on our celebration weekend.

  With so many people deciding not to participate in this year's Heritage Day, our steering committee has made a decision.  With a 50% reduction in people willing to help this year, running Heritage Day like it has in the past is not possible.  Realistically, there is just not enough of our "core team" of volunteers for Heritage Day to take place.  We agreed as a committee, that we would not have a Heritage Day Celebration this year if we could not get 100% involvement like we have in the past.  It takes 100% commitment from our volunteers for Heritage Day to run smoothly.  The Heritage Day Steering Committee felt that it would be a disservice to our recipients to not give them the absolute best Heritage Day.
 
  The Board of Congregational Life is in charge of the food preparation, food service, and take-out/delivery plates at Heritage Day.  Heritage Day Celebration 2010 used over 120 volunteers just for food service/preparation alone.  The Board of Congregational Life voted unanimously to not participate in the 2011 Heritage Day Celebration, with regrets.  They felt it was not possible to prepare such a large meal with a large reduction in volunteers.  They, too, felt that if we cannot give 100% to Heritage Day that they did not want to proceed with Heritage Day.  Looking at the situation realistically, it is not possible to have a Heritage Day Celebration with such a large number of people not participating.  Therefore, the Heritage Day Steering Committee has voted to cancel the 2011 Heritage Day Celebration, with regrets.  We continue to hope and pray that our church heals, so that we can look forward to the 2012 Heritage Day Celebration.
  
  I know how important Heritage Day is to each of you and how close we hold Heritage Day to our hearts.  We are so proud of Heritage Day and what we accomplish and give back to the community.  What other church has a large fundraiser that gives 100% of the profits to the community????  Very few, if any.  We have all worked so hard to make Heritage Day such a huge success.  That is why this is such a difficult decision.  I know many of you are hurting and heartbroken that we have to make this decision.  I am truly sorry about this and feel your pain.

  Please know that it is NOT one group or another that is choosing to not participate in Heritage Day this year.  There are people on both sides of the issue that feel their heart and minds are not on Heritage Day this year, and therefore are not going to participate.  People started informing me of their decision to pass on Heritage Day before the vote took place in late July at the Special Called Congregational Meeting.
 
  Thanks for your support and understanding.  Again, continue to pray for our church and each other as we move through this difficult time.
 
  "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."  Proverbs 3:5-6
 
In God's Blessings,

Aaron Muegge

Chair, Heritage Day Steering Committee