The greatest moments are found in the things we regain. In a year of so much loss, there was a lot we thought wouldn’t be possible and yet many great things unexpectedly still happened. Perhaps those things had to be reworked or re-imagined in order to meet new requirements, but even those slightly modified life events are welcome blessings this year!

The Lawn was one such way that the church found to bring our community together. A multi-purpose space, and an extension of the Home Initiative, The Lawn served as an outdoor church, event space, and gathering spot for our community this year.

Among the many things The Lawn provided, it also gave us an opportunity to hold the annual Fall Team Gala. The Gala is an event that gives back and celebrates those in our church who tirelessly give of their time by serving on one of our many teams.

Initially, Pastor Chris said he was unsure whether we would be able to hold the Gala this year. A large-scale, socially–distanced event in an outdoor setting during a month when cold weather and rain are an ever-present threat, seemed impossible. But is anything impossible for God? So, the Gala was planned for a Saturday in early November and we all waited to see what would happen.

The evening of the Gala was, thankfully, unseasonably warm. Pastor Chris said to those in attendance, “If there was any doubt that God is for us, just look at this day He has given us!” The weather was amazing and The Lawn made for a perfect location to come together safely and celebrate our hard work and service this year.

There was amazing food, Burrito Bowls from Burrito Joint, Gringos Taco Truck, and Mozzarepas. There were also lots of fun lawn games like Cornhole and giant Jenga and lively music. But the best part by far, was seeing all of our friends from the other teams and coming together to celebrate a challenging, but rewarding year.

So many teams have had to modify their service by serving virtually or in a socially distanced manner, while some teams have had their service put on hold as their normal service roles have not been happening. Other teams are working over-time in the face of dwindling team size due to people moving or some members being unable to serve right now. And some teams are serving at The Lawn and 301 Garden on a weekly basis to bring an in-person experience back to our community.

With all these changes and service looking so different this year, it was wonderful to still be able to celebrate that service at the Gala. The Gala looked differently than past years, some would argue possibly better, being more festival in atmosphere, than semi-formal event. But regardless of how it occurred, the fact is that it did occur and in a year of so much loss and cancellation, the event was even more special and encouraging to the attendees because of it.

If you’d like to attend the Team Gala next year get on the list by joining a team! Now, more than ever we need people to join teams! For instance, do you enjoy writing? The Story Team that writes blogs like this one is in need of passionate writers. And there are so many other opportunities to serve and bring a talent or skill that can be useful to one of our many teams! To learn more about Teams and how you can serve this year and be part of next year’s Team Gala, visit https://hobokengrace.com/teams/.