Sunday, April 13, 2008, saw the most unusual special visitors to Trinity's 10:30 a.m. worship service.  The sanctuary was filled with all sorts of God's creatures, including a little 3-week old lambkin whose bleatings chimed in with the processional hymn and a colony of honey bees. 

We were celebrating the designation of Trinity congregation as an "Ark Church" by the Heifer Project for the hard work put in by the children of the congregation in their successful fund-raising campaign to exceed the qualifying goal of $5,000.  Art shows, spaghetti suppers, booths in the narthex after church, and many other small projects together helped the kids reach their goal.  Now they can hope to provide many animals to families in developing nations so that these families can enjoy ongoing nutritional support and, in some instances, an income-producing asset.

Give yourself a hand, too, for generously supporting this project as our children learned that they, too, can make enormous contributions to needy families half a globe away.

Enjoy these images of the children with their furry and feathered friends in church on that happy Sunday!  Paula Marques kindly provided most of these wonderful photographs.

Ross O'Rear in the processional into the sanctuary.

Help!

Please help me with the names of the children depicted here.  If you see someone you know and I don't have him or her properly identified, send me an email notice.

Some of the ID's have been graciously provided by Paula Marques.

Susan Bishop, one of the adult workers in the Heifer Project, helping with the procession of the animals, followed by Drew Hindman and William Roberts.

Susan Bishop, Adam Shumaker, Kristi Stewart and Lambkins

Jackson Crawford, Nathaniel Combs, a visiting U.A. student, and William Roberts with his bee friends.

Catherine Combs, daughter of The Barnyard owner, holding her kid goat.

Rev. Michelle Hunter holding the microphone for Peyton Crawford who is holding her fancy red chicken while Ross O'Rear and Wyatt Lewis look on.

Alana Lewis, Samuel Marques, Bert McLelland and Rev. Michelle Hunter

Alana Lewis, Samuel Marques, Wyatt Lewis, and Bert McLelland

Adam Shumaker & Furry Friend

(I call this, "Adam and Ewe")

The children in their processional out of church

The younger generation weren't the only admirers of this menagerie!

Heather Griffin, U.A. student

Dan Combs graciously provided the animals for our celebration