Pillars of the Church: Emily Schrock and Laurie McKim
The powers behind the flowers on St. Anne’s altar are Emily Schrock and Laurie McKim, two parishioners who are “passionate” about flowers. “Working with flowers is really fun,” says Emily. “It’s therapy for us.”

Parishioners for five years, both women jumped at the chance to do the flower arranging for the church. “We both had been looking for a volunteer opportunity,” Emily recalls, “and we both love flowers, so when there was a help wanted item in the bulletin I called the office, volunteered and said I had another likely suspect – Laurie. Then I called her and said ‘I hope you’re serious because I signed you up.’”

Their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Feedback from parishioners about the flowers has been positive. “They tell us how much they appreciate the flowers and the care we put into making the church more attractive,” says Laurie.

Getting more than giving
In turn, both women appreciate getting to know more parishioners through their volunteer work. “It’s helped us feel more connected to the community,” Emily points out. “In our first year, especially, we felt like we were getting back more than we were giving.”

The job is not without its challenges. “We get some flowers from Lake Union Wholesale Florists – owned by a parishioner – though our budget is extremely limited,” says Laurie. “But we’re resourceful gals.” Some flowers and greens come from the parish grounds. Others come from “midnight floral” – the yards of parishioners who won’t mind if a few flowers disappear.

Though Emily and Laurie love the work, they both have small children, work full-time and are often “burning the candles at both ends” – particularly on holidays. But the rewards can be great: “After Christmas so many people said so many nice things about how the church looked,” says Laurie. “It’s nice to get those comments and to know that the church looked the way they wanted it to.”

While Christmas was a highlight for the two, an ordinary weekday can be just as moving. “I think there’s just something about being in the church alone when it’s quiet and working on something for the church,” Emily says. “It’s quiet and beautiful. We’re not talking, we’re just working together. I think that’s my favorite thing.”