Making Memories

OKLAHOMA CITY – On Sunday, Feb.28, the Oklahoma Conference Children’s Ministry Department hosted a special Mother-Daughter Tea Party. We wanted to offer an opportunity for moms and daughters to have a special time to bond with each other and encourage a closer walk with God as they live their everyday lives together. In order to allow for social distancing, the attendance was limited to 80 people. The Sheraton Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City fit the bill with a banquet room large enough to accommodate us. Thirty-two moms and 41 daughters attended, representing 14 churches, traveling from as far away as Tulsa, Ardmore and Durant.

The attendees all arrived with their special party dresses, some with hats and gloves. While waiting for everyone to arrive, the daughters were given the opportunity to answer questions on how well they knew their mothers. To start the program, we had a short presentation on the origins of afternoon tea and the correct etiquette involved at a tea party. Herbal teas plus a variety of tea treats were provided so everyone could enjoy the process of serving each other tea and practice tea etiquette.

All children’s ministry events must have a time to be creative, and for this event each mom was given a brown paper bag filled with supplies to make their daughters “fascinator hats,” a style of hat made popular in the 1940s. After the hats were finished, moms walked with their daughters down a “runway,” showing off their creativity.

The afternoon activities culminated with an inspirational talk by Amy Gil, elementary teacher at Tulsa Adventist Academy. Amy shared 10 points to help mothers and daughters form a closer bond with one another, leaving us with the thought that the most important part of any relationship is to have Jesus the center of the relationship. The moms were then given the opportunity to present their daughters with a box which contained a key with a heart attached. Moms then made promises to their daughters and had a special prayer of dedication. Our prayer is that those who attended went home with a deeper bond in their relationships.

By Norma Shepherd