I recently read in the Province IV Altar Guild newsletter, Sacristy Sense, of the passing of Judy McLarty, and I thought about meeting her at a Province IV meeting at the Kanuga Episcopal Retreat Center in North Carolina in the early 2000s. At the time, I believe Judy was President of the National Altar Guild Association (NAGA) and previous Board member of the Province IV Altar Guild. I was in awe and felt so honored to learn from one of the great ones.
I joined altar guild in late 1999. The altar guild director at our church attended the annual Province IV Altar Guild meetings and came back and reported on anything new. I knew right away there was a lot I didn’t know about this important ministry. Upon joining altar guild most of you probably felt the same way — there’s a new set of vocabulary and so many things I needed to learn about the church. A few years after joining altar guild, I realized that the Province IV Altar Guild meetings were open to all altar guild members, not just the altar guild directors, and anyone can join both NAGA and Province IV Altar Guild and receive their informative newsletters. This set me on a quest to attend as many of these meetings as possible.
When I think about Judy McLarty, I think about the current and Past Presidents (NAGA and Province IV) who have taught me so much about how we can best serve our Lord as members of the altar guild. Many of the NAGA Presidents have served, first, on the Province IV Altar Guild.
Judy’s vision for her altar guild grew into a lifetime of devotion to her church, her Diocesan Altar Guild, Province IV Altar Guild, and the National Altar Guild Association. I feel so blessed to have learned from Judy and my other Diocesan, Province IV, and NAGA altar guild friends.
Submitted by Judy Henderson, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Melbourne, Florida, and member of National Altar Guild Association and Province IV Altar Guild