The Club's 140th anniversary: A group photo and the invocation

The Club's members on the stairs of the Thaddeus Clapp House in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, during the celebration of the Club's 140th anniversary on Monday evening, November 9, 2009. Thaddeus Clapp, Jr. was a member of the Club from 1870 until his death in 1890. During that period the Club had a number of meetings in the house, which is currently operated as a bed-and-breakfast. [Click photo for large version.]

The following invocation was delivered by Rev. Dr. Richard L. Floyd at the 140th anniversary celebration:

O God and father of us all,
Whom the heavens adore;
Let the whole earth also worship you,
All nations obey you,
All tongues praise and bless you,
And men and women everywhere love you,
and serve you in peace.

Tonight we thank you for the Monday Evening Club;
For its rich and fascinating history,
and for the warm bonds of friendship it has fostered
From generation to generation
For the past 140 years.

We ask your blessing on our gathering and celebration tonight,
That here we may rekindle and enjoy our friendships,
Make new ones, and enjoy the pleasures of the table,
And the good things that you have provided for us,
Aware that we who have much still live in a world
Where many of our neighbors, near and far, have little.

We thank you for this meal we are about to partake,
And for those that have prepared it for our enjoyment.
Bless it to our use and us to your service, we pray.
Amen.