Fellowship Served on a Silver Platter
First Church in Ludlow Holds Victorian Tea and Quilt Show Fundraiser
 Tea served in delicate bone china tea cups hand painted with colorful wildflowers. Dainty tea desserts and finger tea sandwiches sitting on shiny silver trays. Tables set with vintage linens. Displays of hand crafted quilts, sewn in multihued geometric patterns.
Each May, the First Church in Ludlow, UCC, offers patrons the opportunity to step into a Victorian Tea Room, and step back in time to return to a more gracious era where the atmosphere is luxuriously unrushed.
First Church's Mother's Day Victorian Tea Room and Gift Boutique -- already proven successful over the past two years -- added an exhibit of antique, vintage and newly created quilts for its latest event. Ms. Sydney Snyder, Chair for Missions at First Church and a quilter herself, believes the addition of needle work from a bygone era added even more ambiance to this event that brought back some nostalgia, and transported people to a different time and place. "Because we live in such a technologically fast world, this event gives us an appreciation of the past and exposes the young people to an era that was more focused on gentility, community, and fellowship than they experience today," she said.
Behind that slow-paced atmosphere, however, was a bevy of activities to ensure the event ran smoothly. "The menu of scones with cream and jam mimics the tea served in England." Snyder said. "So we had a lot of help in the kitchen from individuals who assisted in everything from washing dishes to serving the food to preparing the sandwich fillings and baked goods."
In addition, volunteers helped set up tables and chairs, donate and hang the quilts, wait on tables, attend to the raffle and boutique tables, and greet the guests. Others helped by loaning items, or by "keeping a lookout" during the year for teacups at flea markets and antique shops. In addition to the tea service, visitors were invited to visit the "boutique" where local vendors sold merchandise -- like jewelry, food products, beauty items, and sewing notions -- and stroll through the quilt exhibit.
The exhibit displayed an impressive collection of almost 30 quilts, some dating back to the 1800s and early 1900s, loaned for the day by members of the church. Also included in the event was a Tea Cup raffle offering donated quilts, hand-made items, gift certificates and gift baskets.
The committee charged $5.00 per sandwich, $3.00 for dessert, and $2.00 for tea or coffee, with most visitors spending the $10 for the entire 'meal'. The proceeds went to the church's general fund. Admission to the quilt exhibit was free, but visitors were asked to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to community survival center.
As a result, over $1200 was raised for the church and about 50 pounds of food collected for the charity.
The event is open to the community and because it is usually held around Mother's Day, there are many families of mothers, daughters, and granddaughters who attend together. An article in the local paper and word-of-mouth have helped increase attendance.
This year over 110 people attended the tea, and even more attended the quilt exhibit. "We had several groups of Red Hat Ladies join us so at times some visitors had to wait to be seated," Snyder said. In fact, the event has grown so much over the past couple years, the members have had to expand the 'tea room' originally held in the church parlor to the church library and music room.
Marianne Waszkelewiczi, senior deacon at the church, commented that she heard many of the women visitors say that the tea room made them feel special and elegant, and that the quilt exhibit inspired many 'home' quilters.
"My biggest surprise," she said, "was the cross-generational sharing that occurred when folks loaned quilts that had been in families for years, and how pleased they were at having them exhibited."
"It's a lot of work, but fun and well worth it," said Snyder. "We got a lot of nice comments about the food collection as well as the tea. It's a really nice way to reach out and interact with other people who may not be from the same church. And it brings together the generations, giving the younger people the opportunity to learn about the past and interrelate with the older folks in the community."
Sydney can be reached through the First Church in Ludlow, UCC office at (413) 583-3339 or firstchurchludlow@charterinternet.com
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