Fellowship Circle Annual Report

Fellowship Circle meets on Tuesday evenings at 7:30, unless noted otherwise. We are not only a social group but participate in many projects undertaken by the church as a whole.

Fellowship Circle held five meetings during the year 1997. Our number at each meeting has been decreasing over the past few years and therefore it was decided to have fewer meetings while continuing to serve the church through our regular projects.

We participate with Alliance in the "Childreach" program, giving financial assistance to a young girl in Haiti as she continues her education. This year we voted to increase the amount to help meet the increasing costs involved.

Fellowship Circle and Alliance hold two rummage sales each year, one in April and the other in October. The proceeds from these sales help with our church and community giving. This year we made an additional contribution to the Steeple Fund. We also purchased four large trays to be used in the vestry kitchen.

Many of our members are active in the service group which meets each month, with one of its major projects the making of tray favors for the patients at Eastern Maine Medical Center at Christmastime.

Fellowship Circle provided refreshments for the reception honoring Rachel LaPointe, who retired recently as administrative assistant in our church office.

The filling and delivering of Thanksgiving baskets to Orono families continues to be a project of Fellowship Circle. This is always a most rewarding project, as well as a time of good fellowship.

Our programs for the 1998 include:

February 24: AFS students attending Orono High School. March 24: Arizona Lake Powell- "Best of the West" - Frank Howd (Parish House) April 28: An Evening of Poetry - Connie Hunting (Parish House).  May 26 (at 9:00 a.m.): Spruce up the Parish House.  October 27: Memory Books - Peggy Young, Creative Books Consultant (Parish House).  December: "I've Got a Secret!" - Mary Ryan (Parish House). February 23, 1999: Orono AFS Students (Parish House).

We again encourage women of the church to consider joining our group as we begin a new year of service and friendship. We are small in number and have few meetings, but we continue to contribute much to our church and community.

Officers for 1997: Co-presidents -- Mary Ryan and Alida Coates
Vice-president -- Alma Homola
Recording Secretary -- Dorothy Turner
Corresponding Secretary -- Anne Mawhinney
Treasurer -- Joanne Scontras and Nydda Lowery

Respectfully submitted,
Alida Coates and Mary Ryan