By Ophelia Wrenfield, Committees and Crafts Correspondent

MARLOW CROSSING — The Banner and Paraments Committee of Hollowmere Street Fellowship convened Tuesday night for its 41st meeting since the fall of 2022, once again taking up the only item on its agenda: whether the final two letters of the new Advent banner should be glued on or sewn on.

The banner, a handsome rectangle of felt that hangs behind the pulpit from the first Sunday of Advent through Christmas Eve, was meant to read "REJOICE." For the past four Christmases it has read "REJOI," and committee members say this year is shaping up the same way.

"The first five letters went on with fabric glue in one afternoon," said committee chairwoman Lorraine Dibble-Archer, 68. "Then Doris came in with her sewing basket and said a banner is an heirloom, and heirlooms are stitched. And we've been right here ever since."

The missing C and E, cut from gold felt in November 2022, are kept in a manila envelope in the church office marked "DO NOT TOUCH — PENDING." The envelope has been moved twice during office renovations and once accidentally recycled, then rescued by the church secretary from the bin in the parking lot.

The committee's five members are split two to two. The fifth, retired school librarian Walt Penhallow, has abstained on every vote since 2023. He said he is not undecided so much as afraid.

"I once suggested we use safety pins as a compromise," Penhallow said. "No one has spoken to me directly since."

The stalemate has produced some side effects. Visitors regularly ask what "REJOI" means. One family asked whether the church held a service in another language. The children's choir, which stands directly beneath the banner for the Christmas pageant, has begun singing the last line of its song a little louder, "to finish the word for them," according to choir director Penny Ashwell.

Over four years, the committee has tried several ways to break the deadlock. It held a congregational vote, which ended in a tie after someone's grandson voted twice. It glued a test letter onto a practice banner, which fell off in August, a result the sewing side called "evidence" and the gluing side called "August." It also stitched a test letter, which took Doris three evenings and was described by the gluing side as "lovely, but we'd like to see Christmas this decade."

The church treasurer reports that the committee's $60 annual budget has gone mostly to glue sticks, thread, and the snacks that keep the meetings civil. The minutes from all 41 meetings now fill a three-ring binder, which, members note, has a label on the front that was attached with tape in under a minute.

Pastor Eldon Faircloth said he has stayed out of the debate on purpose. "Every December I just preach a little longer on joy," he said. "Somebody has to say the whole word."

The committee meets again next Tuesday. A snack sign-up sheet has already gone up beside the envelope, with a note at the bottom asking volunteers to bring "anything that doesn't need glue or a needle."