Even though our nation is dealing with COVID19 this year, The Little Flower Chapter of JDOK at Trinity Episcopal Church in The Woodlands, Texas has had a very busy year of service. In addition to monthly meetings, our chapter has participated in many service projects. We held a booth at Ministry Fair to tell everyone about our chapter and what we do, we served food and cake to guests at the annual 50+ Wedding Anniversary party, and we volunteered at our annual Angel Gift Market by helping church members learn about the event and serving a traditional English tea for our big sisters in the DOK. We decorated our fellowship hall for Advent, and we participated in the greening of the church for Christmas by decorating the tree, setting up the nativity, and bringing in poinsettias.
Our spring service events were cancelled due to COVID19, but our girls have found many other ways to serve. Two girls raised money to purchase girl scout cookies to donate to Abundant Harvest kitchen. Abundant Harvest prepares and serves food to those in need both in their food truck and in their kitchen. They also serve as a local food pantry. These ladies were able to raise funds to donate over 150 packages of cookies this year. Our chapter collects quarters for Laundry Love as well. Laundry Love is a part of St. Isidore Episcopal Church where, among many other things, they meet once a month and provide laundry services for those in need. We have an officer of our chapter who collects and counts all of these quarters at each meeting. This year we raised over $50 to help Laundry Love. During our time in quarantine, some of the older girls have been contributing to the church services by recording songs for choir, playing hymns on their instruments or creating artwork for the Good Friday service, participating in the Passion Play and Service for Palm Sunday and Good Friday, and by being lay readers. Younger girls recorded videos of themselves shouting Alleluia that were used in the children’s service on Easter morning. Girls have also been donating food to Abundant Harvest, writing letters to senior citizens, drawing and coloring pictures and making cards for senior living communities to spread joy, and chalking sidewalks with positive messages.
Our DOK and JDOK chapters started a program pairing JDOK members with DOK members as little sisters and big sisters. The sisters pray for each other, send each other cards and drawings, and take the time to talk with each other at church. During the quarantine, they have been staying in touch through writing letters and talking on the phone. This relationship between the big sisters and the little sisters has had a great impact on both groups. We are very much looking forward to getting back together and having a luncheon when this is over. We are also looking forward to the installation of four new members of our JDOK chapter as soon as we can be back together in our church!