Friday, September 15, 2017

St. Ann’s hosts Community Day to welcome new and old friends to church by Michelle Libby



St. Ann’s Episcopal Church at the corner of River Road and Windham Center Road held its third annual Community Day last Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, the community at large and the church community were invited to enjoy games, music, visits from firemen and Sparks Ark. 

Mason Marquis from Brunswick
“It’s a nice community church. We’ve been to activities here. We’re so impressed with the church participation,” said Jim Kelley, who lives in Windham, but attends another church. 

“It’s a combination of reaching out to the community and welcoming people back to the church community,” said Rector Fr. Tim Higgins. “We do this as a free offering of grace to the community.” 

Sunday was Welcome Back Sunday and registration for Sunday School. The church held a family breakfast and a barbeque for the congregation after the two services. 

“We’ve seen a lot of new folks from the community, today,” said faith formation director Kate Tompkins. Fr. Higgins called the number of participants “outstanding”. 

The event was planned by Michael Dionne and his committee. “My thought is go big or go home,” he said of the planning. “It’s important. It’s not just a church in the community, but a church for the community.” 

Rye Carpenter from Windham
St. Ann’s opened “Ladybug Playground” to the community once it was built, and it gets a fair amount of use, said Dionne. So many know where the church is. 

The event was not about religion, but about having fun, Dionne said. There was a performance by The Pond Lilies made up of Polly Lawson, Kristin Goodall, Leanne Cooper, Jodee Davidson and Jeanne DiSciullo-Carpenter; also a presentation by Josh Sparks, owner of Sparks Ark, a bounce house, cotton candy, plenty of games and a visit from the ice cream truck. 

Windham Fire and Rescue brought a fire truck and an ambulance for children to explore, as well.
 “It’s a great time to spend time with the St. Ann’s community and the community in general,” said Dionne.

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