Gretna Christian Church 100th Anniversary
Minister: Dwight Mays
111 Leftwich Street
Gretna, Virginia
Mailing Address: Post Office Box 644 Gretna, Virginia 24557
This is a poem written by Ivalee Lee Dalton about the Christian Women's Fellowship.
C.W.F. History
by Ivalee H. Dalton
Our C.W.F. Circle
Has members young and old;
Their friendship is a miracle,
Drawing others into the fold.
They all have hearts of gold,
Patience and willingness to help
Perhaps of their work you'd like to be told,
Their progress judge for yourself.
The group was organized in 1948,
Officers were elected as a necessary measure;
The records will show the exact date.
These ladies meet for business and pleasure.
Committees for this and committees for that,
Each had a part, a job to do;
No time for gossip about a hat,
Just work for me and work for you.
After a debate the decision was made
To have a meeting twelve times a year,
Due of one quarter to be paid,
To cover expenses of which you'll hear.
Sympathy and get-well cards were sent
To friends who were grieved or ill'
On these little money was spent,
But the effect was as good as a pill.
For missionary work donations we made,
Prepared boxes for some needy we knew,
And acted as a regular ladies aid,
Our fame in the community slowly grew.
To raise some money, food sales were held;
This took lots of work and time,
But of its success you've heard us tell,
The money we raised was several dimes.
So that some soul might be saved,
By the reading of God's book,
A sum of money we gladly gave
This sum Gideons thankfully took.
The first big project we undertook
Was adding lavatories to the church;
Donations are listed in our book,
To raise enough money required a search.
The church floor looked very bare,
A rug it needed to give it color;
To please everyone we took a dare,
And placed it there with hard-earned dollars.
To raise more money is a cinch,
Send an apron to a friend;
Charge a penny for every inch
Of her waist - 'tis the fashion trend.
An auction sale we also had,
Packages were wrapped so pretty and bright;
The results weren't at all bad,
Since this sale was held on meeting night.
Then, too, an offering we give,
Some by the installment play,
A copper for each year lived,
Each time we have a birthday.
Our program consists of song,
Prayer, scripture reading and a story,
To help our fellowmen along
The rough, rocky road to glory.
Our business session includes roll call,
Reading of the minutes, report of chairmen,
Treasurer's report, or anything which falls
in the line of these business hens.
We send a quarterly report in,
Telling others what we've done;
And on this blank I write with pen,
The things we've read for fun.
"World Call" has news of far and near,
And the library books are those of fame;
The "Secret Place" calms our fears,
And from all three we surely gain.
The C.W.F. history has been brief,
Outlining the things we've done,
Our work has never contained grief,
But been full of pleasure and fun.
You can find this poem in the CWF's new cookbook which I talked about yesterday. In the cookbook you will also find many recipes contributed by the women of the church and as I have said before they are wonderful cooks.
Mark E. Poole photos
Disciples of Christ Historical Society
Gretna Christian Church
Atha Bailey
Linda Dalton
