Árdís - 01.01.1966, Blaðsíða 43

Ársrit Bandalags lúterskra kvenna
41
Salt Of The Earth
“Ye are the salt of the earth.” Matt. 5. 13: was the text of the
sermon preached at a memorable service on Sunday evening Octo-
ber 2, 1966, at the First Lutheran Church, Winnipeg, Man., by its
pastor, the Rev. Valdimar J. Eylands, D.D. The occasion for this
service was the observance of the Eightieth Birthday of the Ladies’
Aid of the Church, the oldest organization of its kind among the
Icelanders on either side of the Atlantic.
In the year 1886 in Winnipeg, Man., a small group of dedicated
Icelandic women banded together with the sole purpose of work-
ing for the betterment of the Church, newly organized and much
in need of help of the kind only women can give. Its purpose was
to aid the Church spiritually and financially, a purpose never lost
sight of, a purpose unfailingly adhered to, through times of happi-
ness and stress, through times of peace and war, through times of
sunshine and cloud.
The Ladies’ Aid, originally the Kvenfélag Fyrsta Lúterska
Safnaðar, grew in size and strength and it may be truly said that
it has been blessed by the Lord. It has ever presented an example
of service, surpassed by none, among our people and indeed its equal
is hard to find anywhere. It is a true inspiration to the women who
have followed them and who have emulated the example of these
loyal Christian women, whose steadfast goal has ever been to work
for their Lord and His Church.
It was indeed fitting that the Pastor and the Church Council
should publicly recognize the Ladies’ Aid, whose work is by no
means a thing of the past. A Commemoration Service took place
on the aforementioned Sunday. It commenced with a parade of
the members, each wearing a yellow rose, marching in a body,
to a reserved place in the nave of the beautifully renovated church,
the spiritual home of these women. The Pastor paid glowing tri-
bute to the unswerving loyalty and devotion of these women, many
of whom have lived many years as their honored Ladies’ Aid, and
some even more. At the conclusion of the divine service, a re-
ception was tendered them in the Lower Auditorium, the scene of