PRAYING OVER GIFTS … After the boxes of homemade cookies and treats were packed with love at the House of Prayer Christmas Tea, the ladies joined together to pray for the Lord’s blessing over each one of the Montpelier employees who receive one, led in prayer by GayLynn Harris. (PHOTO BY REBECCA MILLER, STAFF)
By: Rebecca Miller
For many years the ladies of House of Prayer, a downtown church in Montpelier, Ohio, have been gathering to pack cookies and treats for every employee of the village.
This year they met on the morning of December 3, 2022, all arriving with their homemade or store-bought goodies, ready for a lovely hour together.
They were not disappointed as a delicious breakfast was served of four homemade egg casseroles, blueberry crumb cake, cinnamon rolls, yogurt and fruit, and other delicious items.
The food was delicious but the time to just sit and rest and relax together as sisters in Christ who need a break from the rush of the season, as Pastor Ben Harris’ wife, Miranda, put it as she welcomed everyone, was “just the ticket” as a previous generation used to say.
Following the time together around breakfast, the tradition of founding Pastor Don Harris’ wife, GayLynn, reading a delightful book called A Cup of Christmas Tea, by Tom Hegg, was again a blessing to all in attendance.
The story is written in poetry form and encourages all of the younger generation not to forget the older ones at this time of year.
Harris choked up a few times, but as Miranda was introducing this portion of the morning, she had said that GayLynn always cries when she reads it, so a few times GayLynn joked with the ladies about how it didn’t matter that she has read it for the past thirty years, it still makes her cry.
The time of packing the cookies for the Montpelier village employees moved quickly as it is true that “many hands make light work.”
Every box was packed to the top and there were still many treats left over.
Before wrapping it up for this year, all the ladies gathered around as GayLynn prayed over the 48 boxes of treats, asking the Lord to bless each and every one of the employees who receive them, with a great Christmas and a good year ahead.
Rebecca may be reached at rebecca@thevillagereporter.com