She loves Tacoma!

Last night I gave a presentation to a crowd of seventy five people at St. Andrew’s Church along with our wonderful Pastor, Father Martin Yabroff. Father Martin and I did a tandem presentation, keeping the audience interested in a history which has become such an important part of my life. The event was presented to the membership of the Tacoma Historical Society and our church members who were delighted to hear the story of the first church service for St. Andrew’s Mission ( as our church was called then) on September 14, 1890 in Gilbert Hall located on Prescott Avenue (now 6th Avenue). Highlighting the growth of our church from a quaint building on North 8th and Oakes Street to the eventual move to South 12th and Jackson in 1953 was delightful to share and we received several compliments after the presentation.

Being a Tacoma history buff, I have spent the past several weeks reading the minutes of St. Andrew’s Women’s Guild from records as far back as 1890. It was interesting to read about these dedicated women who were always thinking of creative way to raise money for a church they loved. They returned each and every dime they raised back into the church to purchase a lantern (no electricity in the early days) paint the church floor or buy a nightgown for a church member in need.

Besides completing a history presentation last night I also was a part of another fun and special event; being a participant and reader during a service on Eucharist TV. I also have my photo on the current cover of the Continuing Education schedule for Tacoma Community College; a blog I wrote about a tour of the YWCA building was recently highlighted in The News Tribune and my picture along with another Tacoma Historical Society member was recently on the front page of the Tacoma Daily Index.

This has been a fun and exciting few weeks for me and I am honored to be so involved in a city I love.