Growing Beauty and Community with Holli Rogers and the Flower Guild

For Holli Rogers, arranging flowers has never simply been about making the sanctuary beautiful.

It's an act of worship.

"I think it's one of the best contributions of my time and talents," she says. "It's a gift to God. It's an expression of my love for my faith."

Holli joined First Presbyterian's Flower Guild in 2012 and became chair in 2019. Over the years, she has discovered that the ministry is about far more than flowers. It is about offering beauty to God, serving people during some of the most significant moments of their lives, and belonging to a community that quietly cares for one another.

She has always found it easy to encounter God in creation.

"I love the beauty of nature," she says. "I can feel God's presence in nature as much as I can in the sanctuary."

That love comes alive every time she begins designing an arrangement. Whether preparing simple Sunday flowers or the elaborate displays that fill the church at Christmas and Easter, Holli sees each arrangement as an offering. The long hours of preparation, hauling greenery, conditioning flowers, and building large displays are all worth it once everything is in place.

"I may not always hear about it from the congregation," she says, "but I can feel it. And the expressions I do get make it so worthwhile."

As chair, one of her greatest joys has been watching new members discover their own gifts. She lights up when talking about new members like Alice, Stephanie, Jim, Kallee, and Heidi, whose enthusiasm has brought fresh energy to the guild.

"They're excited, and they're going to be huge additions," she says.

Over time, she has learned that no two people arrange flowers in exactly the same way.

"Each member is different," Holli says. "You recognize their gifts and what they're most comfortable doing."

That spirit of encouragement is something she first experienced when she joined the guild herself. The Flower Guild was already a close-knit community, eager to teach new members everything from the mechanics of floral design to the practical details that make worship possible each week.

But the mentoring extended well beyond arranging flowers.

Longtime members Anne Pittenger and Nancy Kelly White became trusted guides, not only in floral design but also in Holli's own faith journey.

"They've been mentors, not only in arranging, but in counseling in my faith," she says. "They've been a real source of support for me."

That support became especially evident during one of the guild's most meaningful experiences together.

When Flower Guild member Anne Hart's brother passed away, Anne had been asked to create the sanctuary arrangements for his memorial service. As the day approached, everyone knew the task would be emotionally difficult.

Before beginning, the group gathered together. Holli led them in prayer.

It was a simple but deeply meaningful moment.

Anne then created what Holli still describes as one of the most beautiful arrangements she has ever seen. Drawing inspiration from her brother's love of the Smoky Mountains, Anne filled the arrangement with rhododendron, dogwood buds, evergreen branches, Lenten roses, and iris. Every stem reflected something he loved. Every bloom helped tell his story.

That experience reinforced something Holli has come to believe after years of serving through flowers.

"Each arrangement tells a story."

That is especially true during memorial services, which have become one of the parts of the ministry closest to her heart.

When arranging for a funeral or memorial service, Holli prays for the family. She carefully considers what flowers might reflect the person's life and how the arrangements can offer comfort to those who are grieving. Even the small details matter, like deciding who will receive each bud vase after the service so the beauty continues to bless others.

For Holli, flowers remind us of something deeply true about life itself.

"They're temporary," she says. "But that's what makes them so magical."

Their beauty lasts only for a season, capturing a single moment before fading away. Yet for that brief time, they point worshipers toward the beauty of God's creation, mark moments of celebration and remembrance, and quietly proclaim hope.

And perhaps that is what the Flower Guild has been doing all along.

Week after week, season after season, its members offer their gifts together, creating beauty that draws hearts toward God while building a community that quietly cares for one another behind the scenes.