On Saturday, April 24 Hospitality Hall was transformed into a lovely Tea Room for about 140 women from St. Joan of Arc and their guests. Many of the women wore hats and gloves in honor of the occasion, and lovely spring dresses were seen around the festively decorated room.

The tea was presented by the Wonderful Women of St. Joan of Arc (WWSJ), a group formed to celebrate the women of our parish and build relationships between them.  The event committee included Ruth Shriver, Susanne Ballard, Susan Sell, Martha Sheppard, Marcia Kurtz, Helen Gleason, Carolyn Dobis, Jean Hartman, Patty Brennan, and Jan Pabst. An able group of volunteers assisted in various ways to make the event a great success.

Tea for the event was purchased from Bingleys Teas, Ltd. The owner of the company, Julia Matson, joined the group to talk about the history of tea and to advise on proper tea etiquette.  The caterer, Pat Boerner, served cucumber and open faced sandwiches, layer sandwiches, scones, muffins, and completed the tea with shortbread cookies, strawberries and chocolate.

Volunteers were involved in brewing the tea just the right amount of time, and assuring that tea pots arrived at guests' tables while the tea was still piping hot. Among those involved were women in leadership positions at SJA, who were recognized and thanked for their contributions to the parish. These honorees included Elaine Hauff, Alberta Johnson, Gerry Sell and Jeanette Mefford, who helped pour the tea.  Harriet Horner, Vicki Underland-Rosow and Cathy Meyer were invited to greet women as they arrived at the event.

During the tea, Marlys Weber, Amy Eggenberger and Susan Sell read poetry, some of which they had written and some of which came from favorite poets.

After the tea, everyone went upstairs to the church for a demonstration of flower arranging by Ardith Beverage, who is a parishioner. Ardith is the Director of Education and an Instructor at Koehler & Dramm's Institute of Floristry in Minneapolis. She has been a designer for the Tournament of Roses parade, presidential inaugurations, presidential Easter celebrations and works on a regular basis at the governor's mansion in Minnesota. When Ardith completed her demonstration, she gave many of her creations to those attending the event.

The group then returned to Hospitality Hall for a few songs by Deb Harley and they all joined in on "Tea For Two." Julie Madden closed the event with a prayer.

Everyone took their tea cups home with them as a memento of a lovely Saturday morning.