“You never feel more loved than when you give love away,” is the motto of the Tea Ladies, a group who will celebrate their 10th year of service to the community. By the end of this season they will have served more than 10,000 women.

The Tea Ladies are an outreach of New Life Community Church (NLCM), the church that meets every Sunday at Mackle Park.

In season they hold a series of free teas that consist of approximately 30 minutes to chat and make new friends over morsels of finger-sized portions of sandwiches, wraps, fruits, vegetables, and cream puffs, while sipping a variety of teas from around the world in china cups. There are coffee singles and water for the non-tea drinkers. This is followed by a presentation by a local businesswoman, an inspirational speaker, music, prayer and finally 12 to 15 elaborately decorated door prizes.

But the thing that takes attendees’ breath away are the elaborate and unique tea settings in the beautifully decorated hall. The numerous teas cups and teapots range from hand painted bone china carried back from St. Petersburg, Russia, to finds from local consignment shops.

The teas were a result of more than a year of prayer. The ladies of NLCC prayed for a different type of community outreach. They wanted to share the relationship they have with a living, loving Lord with others. Many of the other churches on the island were conducting women’s Bible Studies. There was a Christian Women’s Club.

“Bonnie and I were in Naples when quite without warning, visions of teapots began to dance in the brain. Mind you, this was a coffee-drinking brain, for decades,” said tea lady Cathy Gallus. “Do you think there are any antique stores on Fifth Avenue with teapots? We found gorgeous gilded teapots that were terribly expensive.”

Gallus, one of the founders of the Teas and her husband David were a blended family of eight — three children from her previous marriage and three from his. To cement the two families Gallus would throw elaborate birthday and holiday parties. “By this time I had the whole party thing down pat. Parties were my forte.”

“The first tea was a far cry from the teas we now enjoy so much. It was held in my home with pretty paper tablecloths with matching pink plastic cup holders and hot/cold pink paper cups adorned the tables. There were also pink candles and little white parasols on each of the five small tables, as well as pretty pink flowered paper plates and matching pink plastic spoons. There was a bouquet of real flowers, a few different selections of tea bags, light finger foods and hot water heated in teakettles on the stove. We had a speaker, our Pastor’s wife, and she also led us all in a song together. We also had a local beauty salon owner who did a facial on one of our ladies, Judi Simmons,” said Gallus.

“Initially we invited mostly the ladies from our own church, not knowing whom else to invite. Shortly before the tea, most of them cancelled. After all the effort and expense and especially the sure notion that the Lord was behind this outreach, a cry went up, an urgent prayer, Lord, what should we do? The answer was to invite the neighbors. One of the other ladies also invited her neighbors and drove them to the event. We were so encouraged. We did it again the following month. This time, however, we sent out pretty lavender invitation letters to lots of addresses, approximately 100, randomly in the area, and we placed a small ad in the Eagle,” said Gallus.

“As the pastor’s wife I was the first speaker,” said Daryl McCulley who currently gives the opening and closing prayer at the teas and shares the duties of Master of Ceremonies with Carol Fennimore. Fennimore currently schedules the speakers.

The group quickly outgrew Gallus’s home and someone volunteered the social room in their condominium. The room held 40 but soon became too small. They next moved the event to Mackle Park but they ran into scheduling difficulties. The Presbyterian Church offered their newly expanded Fellowship Hall. The Teas Ladies accepted and continue to meet there.

The group scoured second hand shops, Goodwills, garage sales, and department stores in their search for tea services. Early on many of them used their own teacups and pots.

As the Teas grew, “another fun trademark began to emerge and that was themed teas. We had a Valentine’s tea in February, a spring flowers tea, an Easter tea, etc. Linda Chambers, retired art teacher and professional pastel artist designs the decorations. We went from balloons to professionally themed wall scenes,” said Gallus.

According to Chambers, the themes for the upcoming Teas are: Nov. 8: Harvest Time; Dec. 13: Christmas; Jan. 31: Be My Valentine; March 7: Garden Party; April 18: Teapots and Toppers with a hat contest.

“It is very heartwarming to see how much the women enjoy the decorations, table settings and the beautiful teapots and cups,” said Chambers.

“The greatest ministry arm, so far that has come out of the Ladies Teas is a permanent location for ministry called The Corner Cottage. With all the prayer requests coming to us each year, we began to feel the need to somehow be available on a full time basis to attendees and their families and friends. Our church does not have a permanent physical location, we rent the facilities at Mackle Park on Sundays,” continued Gallus.

The Corner Cottage, 100 Palm Drive, Suite 210 in the Shops of Olde Marco offers Bible studies, craft classes, topical tiny teas, as well as, a variety of courses ranging from abuse and addictions to divorce, loss and grief. For Corner Cottage information call 642-1406.

Many have taken the Teas back to their home churches. There are teas in Michigan, Wisconsin, South Carolina, and Kentucky. Visiting missionaries have also adopted the idea and there are teas in South Africa, Hungary and the Sudan.

The next tea is from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday in the Fellowship Hall of Marco Presbyterian Church, 875 West Elkcam Circle. The Tea is free but reservations are required, as the seats fill up each time. Call Cathy at 389-0815 or the Corner Cottage at 642-1406 to reserve your seat.

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