Ciao, benedizioni a voi miei fratelli e sorelle.

Hello, many blessings to you, my brothers and sisters! 

“Bingo!” someone shouted through the packed Italian restaurant.

Wait, what? Bingo in an Italian restaurant? “Restaurant” may be a bit of an exaggeration, but the Parish Hall was transformed into a beautiful space for our youth group fundraiser on March 19. We had the Edison bulbs hanging from the rafters, red-and-white checked table cloths, wine bottles filled with twinkling lights, and olive trees. There were images of Italy on the big screen, Italian music, pasta, garlic bread, laughter, love, family, wine, and beer, and the youth group, dressed in all black, was serving the hungry patrons. And Fr. Andrew got his Tiramisu! We even had a dramatic mobster hit when four notorious STP Crime syndicate members (Lil’ Slim, Fat Tony, Fast John, and Pretty Boy Danny) realized that one of their arch-rivals, Jackson “Peaches” Ayers, was in their house. So they surprised him as he was eating his fettuccine alfredo. They threw a bag over his head, gave him some concrete slippers, and carried him out the door to sleep with the fishes. There were also two “wise guys” in collars cracking jokes and being rowdy! So it isn’t an exaggeration after all. I truly felt like I was in an Italian restaurant with 175+ members of my family.

I have dreamt of doing a night like this for a while. So, when Dorothy Lancaster approached me about collaborating on a spring event, I jumped at the chance. We both love bringing the body of Christ together for fellowship. During the bingo, it was such a joy to look out over the Parish Hall and to see it filled with every generation.

We could not have orchestrated this evening without the help of Roberta O’Shea and Sarah Baldwin. They were crucial in the evening’s planning, details, and success. Thank you to Rachel Murphy and Lea Andrews for their behind-the-scenes help. To Connie Stahl for all the pasta and food prep! To the clergy for their support and promotion of the evening. To the youth groupers who help set up, serve, and break down at night’s end. Most importantly, we could not have pulled this event off without the help of God’s faithful and generous givers, who came to the event and donated gift baskets for the bingo prizes and raffle items. It was such a blessing to watch as God poured his favor on this evening like a bottle of cabernet sauvignon, filling the hearts and minds of His people with mirth and gladness.  

I am happy to report that we brought in a little over our goal of five thousand dollars! Several families purchased four hundred dollars worth of raffle tickets to help us reach that goal. What a beautiful gift to support our youth on this mission to Honduras to serve the Lord Jesus! 

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