Unless you have (a) been ill or in hospital, (b) suffered some trauma such as bereavement or loss of employment, or (c) experienced some event in your life that has been noteworthy either for its good effects or its bad, you will not have had a note from Eldred Gooding. If you do fall into any of these categories, you will undoubtedly have been touched by the kindly and gentle words, expressed in beautiful handwriting, that the note contains.
Eldred’s circuitous route to Yorkminster Park led her to become part of this worshipping congregation over 40 years ago. Brought up at Forward Baptist Church, after her marriage she found herself at Walmer Rd. Church during the ministry of the Rev. Howard Bentall. Moving to East York, the Goodings began to attend Parkway Bible Chapel. On the invitation of a friend, they began to attend Yorkminster Park, largely because of the preaching ministry of the Rev. John Gladstone.
She has been secretary, as she says, “of almost every committee in the church.” As secretary of the Board of Finance and Administration, she carried a heavy workload for a number of years. She has also served as President of the Yorkminster Park Women. After her term as a member of the Board of Deacons, she was honoured by being elected a Life Deacon of the church, the first woman to hold that position. For a number of years she was also part of the team of counters, who gather on Monday mornings to count and record the offerings of the day before.
We began by referring to those notes – small, elegantly written, and containing a sincere word of comfort, inspiration or congratulation. As a ministry of the Yorkminster Park Women, these notes carry the good wishes and the prayers not only of the women, but also of the whole congregation, and are much appreciated. Between 450 and 500 such hand-written notes are sent out every year. The prayer list used at Tuesday morning’s prayer time is where she gets most of the names, although others are passed on to her by individuals.
In addition to that, there are the notes concerning Memorial Gifts. Eldred Gooding and Gordon Smith have been given the responsibility by the Deacons for the gifts given to memorialize members of the congregation who have finished this life. Eldred writes notes of acknowledgement to the donors, and notes for information to the families of those being remembered. Not bad for someone who says that other people are doing the work; she is just doing something she enjoys.
