National Altar Guild Convention

National Altar Guild Convention: Altar Guilds play an important role in the life of the church. Some churches have small altar guilds while others have large guilds. Altar guilds serve many functions in the life of the church. They care for the flowers, linens, and vestments at a basic minimum. They may make the linens and vestments, set communion, and so much more.

Sometimes questions arise as to what is the best practice for using flowers, or what color vestments should be used at weddings or funerals. It is time to consult with experts. But where can one find experts on the care and keeping of altars? Help is available!

National Altar Guild

Did you know that there are larger bodies of altar guilds? One such group is the National Altar Guild.  The National Altar Guild is a wonderful resource for many things related to the caring of churches. On their website, you will find information such as:

• The Ministry of the Altar Guild
• Running your altar guild
• Wedding Guides

For the sacristy, there is information such as:

• Observing Liturgical Traditions
• Prayers
• Care and Cleaning
• Church Flowers
• Needlework and sewing project
• Workshops and resources
• Book Review and more.

One important item happening at this very moment is the National Altar Guild’s Triennial Convention.   On Saturday, they have workshops on flowers and papyrus. Later in the week, there is a tour of painted churches in Texas. This is supposed to be a wonderful tour and I look forward to seeing photos.  The Convention runs through July 12. So while time is short for anyone to plan on attending, keep a watch out in case any photos get posted online.

So whether your church is small or large, remember to pray for those involved with the care and keeping of the Lord’s Altar. It is important to work that is often quietly done daily and weekly,  and often without anyone noticing what has been done.

Safe travels to all this weekend!

Be sure to visit our online store front Ecclesiastical Sewing where you may shop for Liturgical Fabrics, altar linen fabrics, church vestment-making patterns, liturgical machine embroidery designs,  church vestment trims and notions and so much more. You may also find us on  Ecclesiastical Sewing on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Sign up for our mailing list at the bottom of the page on our online store front and receive a free copy of our Small Linens Booklet as our way of saying thank you for following along.

Weekend Reading and Musing

A Journey Through the History of Church Banners

Results of Organization Weekend