Wednesday Wines was pouring wine at the local fundraiser for the high school music program last Saturday. This was our chance to come out of the closet for sure! There we were, a former San Francisco policeman, a science teacher, a preacher and our leader, Kathy Campbell. It was a beautiful event. I was struck by how many local wineries had made a contribution to the effort. I've been reading, "At Home in the Vineyard" by Susan Sokol Blosser. I consumed the book in two days. I was so thrilled to read her experiences of starting a vineyard in the Willamette Valley in the 1970's. I was saddened to read about the opposition to her efforts by the conservative Christians around her. How can vineyards, and winemakers be evil, and do so much good in our communities. Sokol Blosser comments in the book that they were (and probably still are) inundated with requests for free wine for fundraising events. I can't believe how generous the wineries in our area are when it comes to supporting local concerns.Helping the arts and local charities is at the heart of what we are trying to do with our little wine shop. We give away 10% of our profits each month to a rotating group of charities. We host a number of classes and arts events and love to do so. I'm so glad that I serve a congregation that sees wine as a blessing and not as a curse. I want to do as much good as I humanly can with this gift that God has given to me, to us. I feel blessed to have partners in this business who desire to bless other people by their efforts. I also feel blessed to have a church that feels the same way, that we are created to bless those around us.
It was especially fun to bring some blessing to the musicians at McMinnville High School last weekend. What a talented group. They do amazing things with limited resources. Thanks to all of the parents who worked so hard to bring together that fundraiser, and to all the people who made it such a great success.