St. Peter's Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Toronto
EELK Toronto Peetri Kogudus
St. Peter's Guild
St. Peter's Guild (formerly known as the Ladies Guild)
“Beloved children, our love can't be an abstract theory we only talk about, but a way of life demonstrated through our loving deeds.” 5.1 John 3:18
Memories of Activities
The Ladies Guild officially began on October 16th, 1951. Unofficially the ladies of the congregation were already serving coffee and sandwiches as early as Christmas of 1949. When the congregation outgrew the rooms it rented for services, it built its own church at Mount Pleasant and Eglinton in 1955.
Minna Heinmaa describes the hustle and bustle of the Ladies Guild members prior to the opening and blessing of the new church building:
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"I recall the days prior to our new church's blessing. The church rooms were a beehive of activity. There were fundraising events for church carpeting, altar cloths, vases, candlesticks, curtains, dishware, etc. The work ran very smoothly. There were individuals sewing curtains for all the windows, unpacking new dishes and coffee cups. We washed and cleaned all the rooms. It seemed we wouldn't get all the work done in time - so we borrowed hours from the night. By early Sept. 25th, the date of the church blessing, all was done and ready. Thousands participated in the church blessing and we prepared the coffee table for hundreds.."
(Translated from "Mõningaid jooni naisringi tegevustset - Eesti Evangeeliumi-Luteri usu Peetri Kogudus Torontos 1948-1958')
Mõningaid jooni naisringi tegevusest
Koguduse naisringil on olnud mitmeid olulisi ülesandeid täita. Ta korraldab kiriklikke pidupäevi, näitemüüke, loteriisid, ja vanasti korjandusi, kaunistas kirikut ja aitas vajaduse korral kaasa kristlikus kasvatustöös.
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Menutan päevi enne uue kiriku õnnistamist. Kiriku ruumes sagiti kui mesipuus. Talgud talgute peale. Rahakogumise akstioonid kiriku vaipade, altarikatete, vaaside, küünlajalgade, kardinate, lauanõud jne. heaks. Töö käis kiiruga nagu jooksval lindil. Õmmeldi kirikuakendele kardinaid, pakiti välja äsjaostetud kohvitasse, pesti ja puhastati ruume. Näis, nagu ei jõutaks tööga ajaliselt toime tulle. Tuli võtta ööst lisa - aga 25. septembri varahommikuks, kiriku sisseõnnistamispäevaks oli kõik korras ja valmis. Jumalateenistused tuhandete osavõtul, pidulk kohvilaud kaetud sadadele. Kõned, tervitused, tänu... Ülev ja meeldejääv päev - meie kõikide suureks meeleheaks ja rahulduseks.
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Paljud naispere liikmed töötasid kodus ja annetasid kauneid käsitöid: laudlinu, haapsalu rätikuid, kampsuneid, kindaid jne. Käsitööd anti koguduse iga-aastasele näitemüügile, mil ka koguduse majanduslikus abikäigus on olnud tähtis koht.
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Kui naisring sai oma ruumi, siis tehti sellele põrandavaibad ja sisustati igati koduseks.
The Ladies Guild presents their hand-made Estonian flag at the I958 Independence Day celebrations.
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Vabariigi 40. aastapäevaks (1958) kingiti naisringi poolt kogudusele auline sini-must-valge lipp, meie rahvuspühamus, mille olid valmistanud naisringi liikmed.
Lipu vardal on hõbekilp pühendusega. Lipp anti üle naisringi rahvariides juhatuse pooolt koguduse esindusele lipuõnnistamise jumalateenistusel 22. veebruaril, 1958. Naisringi esinaine Minna Heinmaa ulatab lipu üle kogudse esimehele Karla Betlemile, misjärel õp. Oskar Puhm selle õnnistas.
The Ladies Guild has served as the heart and driving force of the the congregation, for it is they who organize and carry through all church events and social gatherings. They have tirelessly provided coffee and meals for countless occasions.
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Their fundraising efforts have supported the purchase of carpeting, altar cloths, vases, candlesticks, dishes, tablecloths, and so on. They were instrumental in sewing the draperies inside the nave.
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Many hours have been dedicated to creating handcrafted items through knitting and sewing for fundraising at church lottery events.
Stained Glass Project
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In 1980, St. Peter's Ladies Guild recognized the need to replace the curtains in the church and envisioned more permanent stained glass windows. They launched a significant fundraising campaing, leading to the installation and blessing of the windows created by artist Ernestine Tahedl which were installed and blessed on December 2nd, 1990.
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Supporting Church Events
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The Ladies Guild has tirelessly organized activities, providing refreshments and meals for thousands of events. Hundreds of women have generously donated supplies, food, baked goods, and time to support the congregation's work. Members have crafted beautiful items for sale and organized lotteries and fundraisers.
Cookbooks
Sharing their cherished recipes, the Ladies Guild has published several cookbooks including "Retseptide Kogumik I" and "Retsptide Kogumik II". In 2019, they published their largest cookbook to date, "Blessings and Bounties - Ladies Guild Favourites Old and New", which enjoyed great success.
From their collaborative efforts, many close, lifelong friendships have blossomed.
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A heartfelt thank you to all the ladies who have dedicated countless hours to the Ladies Guild.
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Ladies Guild Chairwomen:
L. Eglon 1951 - 1956
Minna Heinmaa 1956 - 1959
Aurelia Soo 1959 - 1961
Emmy Hiir 1961 - 1965
Elli Kalvik 1965 - 1971
Renate Marten 1971 - 1976
Maimu Purje 1976 - 1979
Mirlanda Leetsman 1979 - 1985
Elli Kalvik 1985 - 1991
Aino Laanvere 1991 - 1999
Leida Pajur 1999 - 2005
Lehta Greenbaum 2005 - 2023
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With the changing times, the Ladies Guild has embraced a new name to welcome both women and men volunteering, and is now simply referred to as the "Guild."
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Chairwoman Aida Shelton 2023 - present.
Koguduse naisringi käsitööde näitemüügil 1998. Ludmilla Ots on ostjaid ootamas.
 2023 - Organizing cupboards. |  2002 sandwich making. |  2002 sandwiches for the "Top Hats" fashion show. |
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 2002 - Men serving on Mother's Day. |  2003 January |  2003 Lehta Greenbaum |
 2004 - Easter Breakfast |  2004 Columbarium Flower Planting |  2006 Easter |
 2007 Asta Valvur, Helgi Sooaru, and Leida Pajur |  2007 Easter brunch. |  2007 - Easter Brunch |
 2007 congregation's Christmas luncheon. |  2004 Pastor Tammsalu's farewell luncheon. |  2004 Planting columbarium flowers. |
 2006 |  2007 |  2007 |
 2009 |  2011 Summer Gathering |  2011 - Serving a hot buffet. |
 2012 Summer outing. |  2012 Summer BBQ. |  2013 summer outing. |
 2013 Congregation's christmas lunch. |  2014 Garage sale volunteers. |  2015 Christmas luncheon. |
 2015 Christmas luncheon. |  2016 Lehta Greenbaum & Vivi Kivi |  2016 Christmas luncheon. |
 2018 Summer BBQ |  2019 New Cookbook Reveal |  2019 Cookbook contributors. |
 2023 Organizing Guild cupboards. |  2023 Linda Laikve & new Guild chairwoman Aida Shelton. |  2023 - Craft show bake sale. |
 2023 - September 24 |  2024 - Guild Christmas Luncheon |