When Ellen Dann left us last summer to go on maternity leave we held on to the hope that she would return, but she has now accepted another post nearer to where her husband Colin works. We held a party to say goodbye and a big thank you to Ellen.
The party was an opportunity for us to celebrate the many ways in which Ellen has served Christ Church and especially its young people during her five and a half years as youth worker. Some of those ways are described in this article that was written when she went on maternity leave.
Geoff pays tribute to Ellen, recalling the unassuming and caring way in which she has served and encouraged others
Ellen thanks us for our support during her time here: she found the decision to leave Christ Church one of the hardest she has ever made but knew the time was right
Matt is leading our youth work on a temporary basis: he is especially grateful for the quality of Ellen’s teaching and that he felt valued as part of her team
Colin takes care of a special star guest
Ellen left with a huge pile of presents, including a scrapbook full of photos and memories
We all appreciated the effort that went into the provision of the bring and share meal
What have we learned from Ellen? What are our special memories? Young people drew and wrote them on flags
Inside story
A series of sketches gave us all a glimpse into life with Ellen, from the point of view of the youth groups and as a ministry team member. At one point her cry “It’s not safe!” made us wonder whether there might be a grain of truth in the parody… all, of course, done with great affection.
A Reloaded fireworks party: is “Ellen” being a bit too safety conscious?
No, this never really happened: facing the consequences of a Soul Survivor water fight that just might, in some parallel universe, have actually happened
A cocktail party! This exercise in creativity and good taste is usually held in the summer. For this demonstration, members of Revive mixed leftover soft drinks donated by the audience. Ellen was asked to judge between “Tropical Crush” and “Disaspberry”
At a ministry team meeting “Ellen” expresses her distress after a jellybean was thrown at a recent event
Find out more about related activities on our youth page.