On Saturday, December 7, Community Alliance Church in Withee hosted a Christmas Gala for about 100 ladies and young girls. Guys provided valet parking. They also helped get things set up for the meal and cleaned up afterwards.
In addition to enjoying time to visit and have dinner, an evening of inspiration was planned. Brenda Thomas and Deb Visser led everyone in singing a couple of Christmas carols. This was followed by Sheri Rohland reading Luke 2:1-20. Pat Steiner, who has performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and recently moved back to the area, provided some special music. Pat was accompanied by Cynthia Gutsch.
The guest speaker for the evening was Emily Eichstadt. She spoke about lessons about God she has learned from her dog Tucker. The first lesson is that trust leads to joy. Emily spoke about how Tucker trusts her and that we will also experience joy when we trust God. The second lesson was that God loves to bless us when we ask. She spoke about how Tucker looks at her for permission to do things. She said that God will also bless us when we ask. The third lesson was that obedience brings freedom. Emily said that obedience is not about bondage, it gives you freedom. She challenged everyone at the end of the talk to think about what God was speaking to them about that evening. She suggested writing it down, praying about it, and sharing it with someone you trust.
The evening ended with Pastor Andy Davis talking about “The Greatest Gift,” the one that God gave us through Jesus. This was followed by everyone singing Silent Night.