REGISTRATION INFORMATION - SEE BELOW.
Dear Members,
Rhode Island Meeting It is with sadness, that due to the coronavirus as it affects each of us across the nation as well as our international members, the Board of the Friends of the Creche has postponed the December 2020 Annual meeting in Rhode Island. We want to thank Fr. Christopher Gomes and Diane Rigo for their exceptional work planning for what would have been an exciting and informative meeting as well as evaluating the situation and advising the Board on the status of this year’s meeting. It was a difficult decision to make. We deeply appreciate all your time and effort.
Virtual Annual Meeting As one door closes, another one opens and in this time of many challenges due to the pandemic, it does allow us to look for alternative ways to communicate with family, friends and colleagues. I have learned to use the Zoom platform on my computer, touching bases with my family in Germany, college friends, work colleagues, book club, quilters and nativity enthusiasts as I sit comfortably in my living room at home.
With this communication mode in mind and through the kindness of Mary & Joseph Retreat Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, I have been able to arrange for our Annual Meeting to be held through their Zoom site. A Zoom meeting allows us to use our computers to see and hear our fellow members as we meet as well as allowing others who may not have access to a computer to join us by phone.
Registration To participate in the meeting, you must register for the meeting. To access the meeting on November 21, 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. I will need to send you an invitation with a code to join the meeting. Your invitation will arrive by November 19. If you do not receive the invitation at that time, please be sure to let me know. To register, please send the following information to me by e-mail (quiltsails@cox.net) or via US post (1312 W. 37th St., San Pedro, CA 90731) or by phone (310-493-3380):
· Your name
· Mailing address
· Phone number
The meeting will include our annual business meeting (a requirement of our bylaws) and we hope to include a presentation about the nativity as you might have enjoyed at a regular in person meeting. As of this writing, that presentation has not been finalized. Further announcements will be made via website and email. If you prefer to be notified in a different form, please contact me using the information above.
And, if you have never been able to attend an Annual meeting or Convention in the past, this will give you the opportunity to see what we do! It will be exciting!
Elections Fall is also the time the Friends of the Creche elects members to be part of our Board. Long before a pandemic challenged the form of national elections, the FOTC has voted by mail and email. We ask you to again to affirm our members who have volunteered to be on our national Board. Your vote is important to this process. Please read the ballot and meet Judy Klein and Marguerite Sullivan. And cast your ballot, either by email or US post.
Portland 2021 Plans are still underway for the next Convention to be held in Portland, Oregon. We are hopeful that the challenges of the pandemic will be over, and we can meet to enjoy the wonderful program that the Portland Convention committee has been working on. We will be in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. It will be a great opportunity for all of us to see one another in real life and celebrate being together as we honor the nativity, the basis of our organization.
Other thoughts We are always looking for other sites for our Annual meeting (even years) and our Convention (odd years). If you think you might be interested in hosting one in your area, please let me know.
If you have a friend who has a nativity or two, find out if they know about Friends of the Creche. Invite them to join. If you need a gift idea for someone who loves the nativity, you might consider giving them a membership to the FOTC.
2020 2020 is the 20th Anniversary of the Friends of the Creche. Its existence has been successful due to your membership and participation. We hope that you will continue to join us in whatever future format we may meet.
On behalf of the FOTC Board of Directors and myself, we wish you good health and a blessed nativity season. See you in November!
Sydne Yanko-Jongbloed President, Friends of the Creche quiltsails@cox.net/sjongbloed@maryjoseph.org 310-493-3380