Oh, what a night! Music, feasting, humor and fun for everyone! The night was packed with great entertainment and delicious gourmet treats, starting with skewered chicken, beef, shrimp and shitake mushrooms, cheeses, fruit, crackers and wine...and that was just the appetizers! Once the doors were open to Fellowship Hall this past Saturday, April 24, the evening really began, with opening numbers by our very own Bill Ferrell and accompanying vocals by Cyrille Amée, a French-born jazz singer with an award-winning voice. Gretchen Carlson, much beloved by our congregation for the many times she has lent her professional talents to our various church events, served as mistress of ceremonies, weaving in humor and story-telling into our program of hits from the past 50 years of popular music. Rounding out our evening of music was Randall Atcheson, playing a piece by Chopin, in celebration of his 200th anniversary, and some patriotic and gospel favorites he arranged. One unseen talent was that of the celebrities in the kitchen, chef Henry Lehr and Phil Carrone, who supplied guests with a sumptuous meal amongst the melodies. As one attendee, Bill Evertsberg, put it, “The  ‘Blast from the Past” Event was a living demonstration of St. Paul’s saying about ‘one body, many gifts.’  Sharon Parker leads battalions and moves supplies like George Patton.  Gretchen Carlson emcees a musical-variety show better than Lawrence Welk. Randall Atcheson brought the panache of Liberace, Cyrille Aimée the voice of Edith Piaf, Phil Carrone the cooking of Julia Child, and of course, at the center of it all, Bill Ferrell brought us the percussive energy of Jerry Lee Lewis.  Mix them all together and you’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime evening.” And Bill Evertsberg’s was not the only voice praising the evening. Others shared their praise as well.

“We love to laugh, and that happened here! It was a wonderful night with great planning and people. The Fellowship Hall has to be one of the most well designed spaces in the entire town.” -Scott & Missy Wolfe

“We had a wonderful time.  Everything was done so nicely – the food was delicious, Bill’s and Randall’s music was amazing, and Gretchen’s MC’ing pulled the whole thing together with humor.  It was a great opportunity to socialize with other members in a more casual setting.” -Phil & Abby Wentworth

“The food was delicious , the decorations terrific and the entertainment was great fun!.   I have always heard such glowing comments about Randall Acheson and now I know why.   He loves to play the piano  for an audience!   I expected Bill Ferrell to still be at the piano this morning singing away and not running out of songs to sing!.   Many thanks to you and your committee!”       -Al & Lora Koenig 

“It was a fabulous, fun evening - one of the best Fellowship events ever. The food was good, the decorations and creative details fantastic, the format just right - I thought everything worked well and went very smoothly.”  -Marcia Hamilton

And while the evening did go relatively smoothly, it was not without its minor mishaps, literally. When the grand piano lost a couple of black keys during the opening set of music, Kevin Estes and Jim Hauser were called from their tables and into active duty to perform some emergency piano repair.   “I want you all to know how grateful I am that you made the event a “blast” for me and Yvonne.  Your hard work and attention to detail created a memorable evening for everyone, especially me.  I am not used to sharing the stage with top celebrities, and while I was busy breaking piano keys I could see the sea of smiling faces enjoying the terrific dinner and camaraderie.  The fellowship hall was a warm, caring place Saturday night, and I thank you all for making the evening so much fun for everyone. My short relationship with the Church has become a vital part of my life.  Thank you all for taking me, Yvonne, Alice and Julien.” -Bill Ferrell

Thank you to Bill Ferrell and all the talented people who shared themselves with us on Saturday, but also to all of those who labored to make this event such a success: Sharon Parker, Renie Blair, Phil Carrone, Marcia Preston, Yvonne Ferrell, Gretchen Carlson, Anne & Steve Hoffman, Nancy Smith, Kevin Estes, Geri Blair, Lilian Eng, Barbara Freeman, Annette Goard, Candee Weed, Tom Zeeman, Brad Parker, Ed Parker, Gail Wilson, Ginny Campbell, Winnona Mullis, Bev Jomo, Linda McWhorter, Gil & Nancy Raker, Jill Babb, Carola Cammann, Sandy Waters, Jim Hauser, and Josh Thomsen. THANK YOU!

Carols by Candlelight - Saturday, December 11, 2010, 7pm - Following the lovely Carols by Candlelight Christmas concert, the Fellowship Committee welcomes guests into the Fellowship Hall for a festive Christmas reception. Homemade cookies and light snacks plus twinkling candles and decorations provide a time to celebrate the holidays with the community. A string quartet will continue the holiday mood playing background music.

Small Group Events

The Fellowship Committee sponsors a series of small group dinners designed to provide members to get to know each other in an intimate setting of 6-10 guests in a member’s home. Dinners are planned according to host availability and members sign up to attend.

"We all had a great time—I met a new couple—they were a delight
and think they had fun too! I cooked dinner and had everyone bring a bottle of wine.
I’ll be happy to host again next year."
-Comment from an October’s Fall Fellowship Feast host

"We had a lot of fun and got to know some new people.
I think it is a nice idea and definitely brings people together. Hope we do it again."
-Comment from a November host

We usually have dinners in the Spring and Fall. Volunteer Opportunities Available: Host a dinner, attend a dinner, work with Team Leader to set up dinners.

Past small group events have included an Autumn Walk, Cookie Baking and a Ladies’ Mother’s Day Breakfast.

We are always looking for new ideas and volunteers to help us provide vital and fun fellowship activities. Our committee has many opportunities and we love input and ideas. We have opportunities that are time efficient including working on one event or making phone calls or brainstorming with us. And we have bigger commitments including: Team leadership for a specific event or Fellowship committee member (about 8 meetings a year). In any case, becoming a member of the FPCG Fellowship Team need not be a lifetime commitment—it should be fun.

To volunteer or find out how you can help, please call the church office at (203) 869-8686 and ask about our Fellowship volunteer opportunities.