Initiation August 24, 2023; 80th Birthday, August 19, 2023
Sponsored by Sunday Afternoon Card Group and Active Minds Group
Greetings
Greta Dershimer: It’s good to see you all here. We’re here to initiate Gayle Floyd as a new recipient of the Edith Good Birthday Bouquet. We’ll hear about the contributions she’s made to our congregation during the many years she has been a member. We have two groups sponsoring Gayle’s initiation: a women’s group that Gayle has belonged to for many years, which is currently called the Sunday Afternoon Card Group; and the Active Minds group, a long-time group of Elders, which Gayle joined more recently, during the Covid pandemic. I’m going to ask you all to introduce yourselves, beginning with the Sunday Afternoon Card Group.
I’m Jean Newland, and I’ve been a member of this congregation for 20 years, and a Unitarian Universalist for 40 years. I’m a member of the Sunday Afternoon Card Group. I’ve also been on the Membership Committee ever since I joined the church, and that’s where I first got to know Gayle. I love being in the many groups of the church that support the wonderful members of this congregation.
Hello. I’m Sallie Kate Park, and I’m glad to be here. This room (the Church Parlor) brings back many memories of the meetings of the Active Minds group, where I’m also a member.
I’m Trudy Rohm, and I have known Gayle for many years, and was a member of the previous Card Game Group. Gayle, I don’t know if you remember that you invited me to join the previous Card Game Group when we were at an Auction dinner meeting at Elizabeth Breeden’s house. Everything comes full circle.
I’m Carole Black, and I was a member of the previous Card Game Group as well.
I’m Doug Webbink. I am NOT a part of the crazy card game group, and I am married to Carole. I’ve known Gayle, I think, since I first came to the church in 2006.
Greta Dershimer: Now let’s hear from the Active Minds group sponsors, starting with those who are here with us on Zoom.
I’m Stephen Blair, and I’m part of the Active Miinds group.
I’m Manny Vasquez, and I live in Staunton, Virginia, and attend the UU church there. I’m part of the Active Minds Zoom group here in Charlottesville, and I joined it in January 2021.
I’m Greta Dershimer, also an Active Minds group member, and I’m pleased to be the facilitator of this meeting. We will begin now with the Ritual Introduction, which explains the initiation process, and tells how we came to have this new tradition. We were hoping that would be read by Diana Scott, but she isn’t here yet.
2023 Ritual Introduction Read by Greta Dershimer
Sharing Information
Trudy Rohm: This is a report that was written by our group, working together. We nominate Gayle Floyd as a recipient for the Edith Good Birthday Bouquet, as she is an amazing friend and devoted member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charlottesville. She has generously supported her friends and beloved community in various ways, including:
Working as part of the Membership Committee
Ushering at church services
Mentoring youth in our Religious Education program
Assisting the ministerial staff in correspondence with individual members
Welcoming church attendees as a greeter
Conveying church members in need of transportation
Contributing to church members in financial need
Facilitating covenant groups in the small group ministry
Interacting in several card/game groups that function as covenant groups
And perhaps most memorably, broadening the vocabulary of close friends by introducing us to the term “hecky-derm.”
Gayle’s warmth and kindness are shared with all of us who know her. She exemplifies our UU values daily and is emphatically worthy to be a recipient of the Edith Good Birthday Bouquet.
Greta Dershimer: Thank you, Trudy. Now we’re going to hear from Jean Newland, who will tell us more about Gayle’s work with the Membership Committee, and other church activities.
Jean Newland: We were so glad when Gayle decided to join the Membership Committee. She went beyond anything the Membership Committee expected of her. Whenever Gayle visits another UU church, she brings back anything she read or saw that might help our church, like brochures for visitors. In our committee, when we talked about membership issues, Gayle always had thoughtful ideas. She was a voice of reason in our many conversations. She is still active with the current committee, and always steps up when needed.
Gayle is uniquely qualified to be a greeter and an usher, and all those other things that Trudy mentioned. In her work life, Gayle was a tour guide and a librarian. She has been a terrific volunteer for our church. When she was an usher, she talked t0 our visitors and answered any questions. She gave them information about the various activities of the morning, so they could plan their day. She also served as a greeter, welcoming newcomers and helping them get situated. She is still greeting now.
When you’re talking to Gayle, she’s not looking over your shoulder. She’s looking you right in the eye, and that’s an essential quality in a greeter, because the greeter is often the first person that a visitor to the church sees. Gayle is very friendly and welcoming, the perfect representative for our church with newcomers. She’s made a difference in the lives of people that she’s talked with ever since she joined. She’s just a wonderful person, and I’m glad to call her my friend.
Greta Dershimer: Thanks, Jean. We’d like to take some time now to allow other people to comment on their interactions with Gayle, and I’d like to invite Diana to say something first, since she arrived a little late and didn’t get properly introduced. Diana’s an Active Minds group member.
Hi. I’m Diana Scott, and I’ve been a co-leader with Gayle in a covenant group for a number of years. I actually began coming to church during Covid, when I joined the covenant group. I had come from a UU church in New England, so I knew the UU ways, but I didn’t know anyone in this church. Gayle totally embraced her new co-chair, and we managed our way through everything, and got new people to join our covenant group when we went on line. I just feel like one of Gayle’s great gifts is to figure out a way to move forward and bring everybody along with her. And she’s a leader, but she’s not a boss. She incorporates a lot of wonderful qualities and brings people into the church even in the midst of a pandemic. I appreciate that about Gayle. We’re still in a covenant group together and we probably will be for a long time. She made me be a greeter too, so in that way, she probably is my boss. And I’m happy to be here today.
Manny Vasquez (on Zoom): I’ll just say, Gayle, Happy 80th birthday!
Kathleen Klumpp (another late arrival, and an Active Minds group member): Well, this is the first time I’ve seen Gayle in person, and I have to say that I always appreciate your contributions in Active Minds meetings, and I welcome this opportunity to meet and greet you, and wish you a very happy birthday. (hands Gayle a birthday card)
Stephen Blair: I’d just like to say congratulations! I delight in our Active Minds conversations. It’s always a delight to hear from you, and I wish you all the best. (he claps)
Jean Newland: The Covid period was a hard time for all of us. But it was a wonderful time for our Card Games group. We formed this Covid group for our UU card group to meet outside on Trudy’s back porch in 40degree weather, because we wanted to meet unmasked. You had to have a mask on indoors. Meeting unmasked was a wonderful thing for us.
Greta Dershimer: I’d like to comment about Gayle’s gift of driving people to get to where they want to be. I know that Gayle regularly drives Sallie Kate to the women’s basketball games at UVA, because I park in the garage right next to them. But I never get to talk with them there. I always get there after they have left their car, and when the games are over, their car has disappeared. I have concluded that they have much better seats than I have. That must be another one of Gayle’s gifts.
Presentation of the Edith Good Birthday Bouquet
Sallie Kate Park: I appreciate Gayle for all the things she’s done for the church, and the rides she’s given me to church and to basketball games. You couldn’t have a better person to be a greeter in a UU church, and make visitors feel accepted! (hands bouquet to Gayle)
Gayle Floyd: Thank you so much! I’ve always tried to do one special thing each year, something special for the church, like teaching Sunday school. I try not to over-commit, so I can focus on one thing and do it well. It has been wonderful to be part of the covenant group. Of course, I’ve loved the games group, and we go to the beach for a retreat every year. Greta joined us one year. This church means so much to me. My friends in Charlottesville mostly belong to this church. And I really do appreciate this event. Thank you all so much!
Conclusion
Greta Dershimer: Thank you all for being here and participating in this celebration of Gayle Floyd’s 80th birthday and her contributions to our UU congregation. I want to say a special thanks to Sean Skally for videotaping this meeting and incorporating the Zoom group along with the live group, so we could all participate together.