By E. Mary DeGrow

My first memory of an Altar Guild is going with my mum to St. Barnabas, Deep River on a Saturday morning and sitting on the floor putting Brasso on the processional cross and then polishing it. The cross was quite elaborate and someone bigger than me had to polish it again afterward. I think I might have been 5.

Fortunately, for those of us on the Altar Guild at St. Peter’s, the processional cross is quite plain, no elaborate curlicues to get polish out of and we only do that job about twice a year. And we don't have much brass to do.

The rest of the work of the Altar Guild is really very simple and straightforward. We prep the church for each service. That means putting out the chalices, the bread and wine and all the linens that are used during the Eucharist. After service, we wash everything and put it away, take the linen home, wash and iron it there, and return it as soon as possible.

For Easter and Christmas, we do some decorating with plants and flowers. There is a separate group that does the flowers for regular services. That is Sally Cranston, Janet Bouskill, Susan Sprange and yours truly when needed. If you want to give flowers on a certain Sunday, you sign up on the sheet on the sacristy door and one of the above will contact you to ask what you would like.

Our groups usually work a month at a time, for 4 Sundays in a row. This makes knowing where the linen is easier and scheduling simpler, both for the members and for the secretary, Ellen Gould.

Being part of the Altar Guild is a very easy but essential part of making the services run smoothly. If you are interested in being part of this please let me or the co-convenor, Cori Dorrian know. You would be added onto a team until you felt comfortable with the work and then would form a part of a new team.