This page was born from a suggestion by Lucy Bickham and photography by James Ray - Enjoy!!
                                                                                                      

  
              7-18-2010                                       7-25-2010

        8-8-2010                        Our Flower Lady                                          8-15-2010                           Louise Bishop            

                                                   8-22-2010                             8-29-2010
                For many years, there was no organized process for providing flowers for the services at Mississippi City United Methodist Church. Sometimes
flowers in honor or in memory of someone were purchased from a professional florist.
            Sometimes wild flowers were used. Sometimes members contributed flowers from their yards. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Lindsey and Ms. Ernestine Cropper were known for their beautiful camellias. Mrs. Victoria            
Newman was a frequent contributor of blossoms from her garden. At one time, a number of silk flowers were purchased and used on the altar.                           
            In the latter part of 1981, Louise Bishop and Margie Brandt began bringing flower arrangements to the church
each Sunday. These ladies decided that if these arrangements did not meet flower show standards, the Lord would overlook it, as He knew they were not professionals.
            A few years later, Margie became the “Coffee Lady” when the Sunday morning coffee fellowship was instituted during the ministry of Rev. Tom Sorrell. Louise became the “Flower Lady” and was honored with a reserved parking space at the Fellowship Hall door. These two “positions” were never officially authorized, but have been generally accepted by the membership and church authorities. (Doris Oxford remembers that she and Swede drank coffee with James Ray in the Fellowship Hall during the time that Bro. Ed Woodall was here. The following was printed in the church history in the minutes of the January 1997 Ad. Council meeting: “The Member Care Committee announced that at the suggestion of Rev. Sorrell, a coffee fellowship time would be established at 9:15 A.M. each Sunday, the purpose being to give the two congregations a chance to fellowship and get to know each other.”)  
           The Flower Lady has kept a record of the church flowers for twenty years. Each Sunday there were two or more arrangements supplied. On church dinner days, there were bud vases or small arrangements on the tables. The Esther Circle has sponsored the flower program since 1982, buying flowers when none were available from yards, fields, or honor/memorial sources. The Circle bought a commercial size refrigerator for the church, which made it possible to use the same flowers (differently arranged) for more than one occasion. 
           On Christmas and Easter, the church was resplendent with masses of honor/memorial flowers placed throughout the building. Not counting the flower designs made for Easter, Christmas, church dinners and other special times, there have been over 3,130 arrangements placed in the church during the past twenty years. One Christmas, in lieu of the many poinsettias usually donated, members gave the money which they would have spent on the flowers to the “Feed My Sheep” program.  At one time, there was a “Prayer Garden” at the back of the church. Gulf Nursery was hired to prepare a raised rose bed containing ten rose bushes and to make two flower beds along the Millers’ fence. These beds were planted with gladiolas, day lilies, daisies and yarrow. The “Prayer Garden” was maintained for three years until it was replaced  by a parking lot.                                                                     
          At the same time the “Prayer Garden” was made, flowers were planted in front of the office and in the planter beneath the cross in front of the church. When the Tinsley Memorial sign was erected, flowers were planted at its base by the Tinsley and Savarese families.
          For several years, flower boxes containing caladiums and a variety of blooming plants were on either side of the double-door            
front entrance to the church. These were discontinued because the planters were stolen.    
         A system whereby flowers were supplied each Sunday gradually evolved. Persons who wished to contribute flowers on a specific Sunday could do so by several methods: by bringing the flowers and notifying the church secretary of this intention in time to get the information in the church bulletin for that particular Sunday; by contacting the Flower Lady and having her supply the arrangement; or by having a florist prepare the flowers.  
         For the past several years, our secretary, Gini Hansen has been responsible for planting and caring for the flower beds around the office. (Published in the Church History – Book II – page 366)
          After Katrina, when services were held in a building behind the China Star, each Sunday morning a smiling Gary Clay came to take the flower arrangements from Ms. Louise’s van into the “Annex.” During this time, there was one central arrangement except on Communion Sundays, when two were provided.
          At the present time, two arrangements are made and are placed on the flower stands. An occasional bouquet is placed on the literature console in the foyer.
          The same “Flower Lady,” Ms. Louise Bishop, has provided this service to God’s Glory for the past twenty-eight years.
          Lucy Bickham has been a very generous supporter of the church flower program.