When an announcement was made at our Concordia Lutheran Ministries Christmas party, that those of us with 30 or more years of employment would be taken to Pittsburgh for dinner, none of us knew quite what to expect.

We found out on Saturday.

We were picked up in a limo bus and taken to the Lemont Restaurant, where we were instructed to order whatever we wanted. From there we were dropped off at PNC Park and whisked off to box club house seats to enjoy a Pirates game.

Words cannot begin to describe how phenomenal the entire night was. Two things made that night special. First was the closeness we all felt to each other in remembering and relaying stories of events that stood out in our minds from over the years. The second — and the reason we feel compelled to write this letter — was the feeling of being appreciated for all of our years of service. You don’t find that with a lot of companies these days.

A big thank-you to the board of directors at Concordia Lutheran Ministries and to Mr. Frndak, our president and CEO, for a night out we won’t soon forget.

Helen Hancock,Carol Matis, Diane Lynn,Barbara McTighe, Patty Jo Erceg,Arlene Freehling,Marysue Hitchens,Cheryl KirkwoodConcordia Lutheran Ministries, Cabot