Hello Friends!

It’s time, once again, for us to begin planning our annual barbecue. Last year’s event was a huge success. We have a lot of good experience to build off of but I think we have a lot more that can be done. Like last year, we will be forming a committee to plan the event consisting of the board (myself, Bruce, Bruce Jr. Ed and Megan) and any additional volunteers who wish to be more involved with the logistical planning of the barbecue.

We will discuss everything from cost saving measures, serving line and kitchen logistics, volunteers and volunteer recruitment, food preparation, event marketing and event promotion.

We plan on have 1-2 meetings, preferably one the first week of April and another in May around the time of the annual meeting. Last year, the committee’s involvement was instrumental to the success of the event. Help us make this year even better!

Also, you may have noticed last year that we were very short on event volunteers. The wait for food was nearly 30 minutes at one point all because we simply didn’t have enough hands. If you plan on coming to the event and have a little extra time please volunteer! We will have 1.5 hour shifts so please consider helping if you can! As the event nears I will be sending out more information about exactly which volunteer positions need filling and descriptions of each position so you know exactly what you’re getting y

As always, please feel free to contact me via email (macedonia_cemetery@hotmail.com) if you’d like more information regarding serving on the committee, volunteering at the barbecue or just to say “hi!”

I can’t wait to see all of you in the coming months!

Joni Buck
President, Macedonia Cemetery Association

Happy Holidays!

I hope you are all enjoying the unseasonably warm December we’ve had so far! It’s hard to believe it’s nearly Christmas. It’s been a slow year for us at the cemetery but I wanted to take the opportunity to update you on the year.

The Barbecue

First, thank you to everyone who came out to the barbecue and an extra special thanks to everyone who volunteered! We spent a lot of time last spring planning the event and that extra effort paid off! We raised $5,583 in plate sales and donations! Our best year by far! We actually ran out of food! Amazing! I am determined to continue on with this in 2017. Like last year we will be forming a barbecue committee to help plan the event. If you are interested or you have kids and/or grand kids who you’d like to see involved on the committee please let me know. There will be two or three meetings, typically held on the weekend and last no more than a couple of hours.

If you can’t commit to serving on the committee please consider helping the day of the event. The wait for food was nearly a half hour and it was due entirely to a lack of volunteers. This is your opportunity to serve the cemetery and your community! Volunteer positions for servers, runners and kitchen helpers are broken up into easy 1 ½ hour shifts. Please consider donating some of your time to help us make this important day a success!

Fall Work Day

The work day was held on October 8. A small group of us met at the cemetery around 9 AM and spent about three hours trimming trees and bushes on the property. The next work day is April 29. I’ll send our more information as the day gets closer but for now save the date and hope for good weather!

Financials

This year the cemetery association has received $7,670.84 and has dispersed $3,861.82.

Our 2017 Annual Meeting will be held on May13 at 2 p.m. I encourage you to attend; I know your time on the weekends is at a premium but the annual meeting is when all the business decisions regarding the cemetery get made and it’s imperative that we have your input. We will vote on a maintenance contract, set a budget for next fiscal year and elect officers. Please mark your calendars and plan on attending. If you don’t live nearby or cannot attend please feel free to send your comments and suggestions to the board via email or US mail prior to the meeting.

Important Dates:
April 29 – Spring Work Day
May 13 – Annual Business Meeting
June 24 – Barbecue

If you didn’t get a chance to make it to the barbecue this year and you’d like to make a donation, please do! Checks can be made out to Macedonia Cemetery Association and can be mailed to P.O. Box 22, Hockley, TX, 77447. We can also accept donations via PayPal and all major credit cards (click Donate, from there click on the Paypal logo and PayPal will walk you through the rest).

Thank you all for your continued support of our beautiful cemetery. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year!

Sincerely,

Joni Buck
President, Macedonia Cemetery Association

After months of planning the barbecue is finally here! We will start serving at 11:30 AM and go until 2:30 PM or until we run out of food.

Plate prices are as follows:

1 Meat – $10
2 Meat – $12
3 Meat – $14
Child’s Plate – $5
Dessert – $1
Sodas – $1

Bulk Meats are also available:

1 lb Brisket – $15
Whole Chicken – $12
1/2 Chicken – $6
Sides – $1.50

Take out containers will be available.

For the first time EVER we will be accepting credit cards! Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted forms of payment.

Macedonia United Methodist Church
23391 Macedonia Road
Hockley, TX 77447

I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s smiling faces tomorrow!

I went by the cemetery this afternoon, as I often do on Friday afternoons to check up on things and noticed that with the wildflowers blooming looks particularly pretty right now. I thought I’d share some pictures. If you were planning on making a trip over, I highly encourage doing it in the next couple of weeks before it gets mowed again!

Happy Spring!

-Joni Buck

At the annual meeting last year we voted to level our leaning tombstones. Below are some before and after pictures!

Thomas E Briers

Dinkins Plots

Mack Rosenau

Louise Thompson

McPherson Plots

The annual business meeting of the Macedonia Cemetery Association was held Saturday, May 18. Both old and new business were discussed, officers were elected and a maintenance contract was awarded

The officers for 2013-2014 are:

President – Joni Buck
Vice President – Ed Ferdon
Treasurer – Bernadine Thomas
Secretary – Leslie Ferdon
BMAL – Bruce Attaway

The maintenance contract was awarded to Chapman’s Landscape.