Whether you are experiencing financial difficulties this year and can’t afford a traditional holiday meal, or are facing the prospect of spending Christmas all alone, the good stewards at Dahlonega Methodist Church have you covered.
That’s because approximately 30 dedicated volunteers from that congregation will be serving up a free lunch on Christmas Day, and it is open to anyone in the community, for any reason.
“It’s for people who need a meal. It’s for people who are alone … It’s just a way to create fellowship on Christmas,” explained Dahlonega Methodist pastor Rev. Steve Schofield.
When asked how long the generous annual tradition has been going on, Schofield paused for a moment to think.
“We’ve been doing it for years. Gosh, since before I came here, and I’m in my 13th year here,” Schofield replied.
This year’s delicious offering will include classic holiday favorites like ham, stuffing, green beans, yams, yeast rolls and dessert, and will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on December 25.
The meal is set to take place in the Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, located at 107 South Park Street, and no advance registration or sign-up is required to participate.
“Come as you are and bring a hearty appetite,” Schofield invited.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
When asked if it’s difficult to field a full contingent of volunteers on a family holiday like Christmas, Schofield said it’s never been a problem at Dahlonega Methodist.
“We have a tremendous buy-in from our church for people who make this their family Christmas, because it’s become a thing where people enjoy seeing each other on that day,” he explained.
Schofield said he expects publicity from The Nugget could boost an already high turnout for the meal.
“Normally, we’re looking at maybe 100 to 150 [guests], but if we put this in the paper, who knows? But we’ll serve everybody who comes. It’s from 11:30 to 3:00, so it’s a pretty wide window. If we get 250 to 300, that’s fine,” he said.
Schofield said the lunch is a part of the church’s annual budget, with much of the funding coming from the prior year’s Christmas Eve offering.
“At our Christmas Eve services we’ll have over 1,000 people, and we take offerings. We’ll get a pretty good offering there, and that helps to defray those costs. Plus, we have a few generous church members who will always give toward that,” he said.
Schofield said his congregation is particularly community-minded.
“If you go to the CHP [Community Helping Place] or Rainbow House, a lot of the volunteers, whether they’re officially there representing the church or not, a lot of those are my church people. So they’re good people,” he said.
NO STRINGS
Schofield noted that while lasting friendships are occasionally forged at the event, it’s not a ministry to try to pull people in.
“It’s just a ministry of caregiving. If those friendships form and people start coming to the church, so much the better. But it’s not a recruitment tool for the church or anything. One of our emphases as a church is to try and work in the community, for the community,” he explained.
Schofield likened that giving spirit to the Greek word “Koinonia.”
“Without getting preachy, the biblical concept of Koinonia is either translated as ‘fellowship’ or ‘community’ in English, but that’s not quite accurate. The word literally means ‘shared life,’ so our church believes one of the great marks of a church is that we share life with people,” he said.
The meal is free and open to everyone, no questions asked.
“If you come in, we don’t inquire who you are. Come in and eat. It’s a hospitality, in that sense. It’s welcome to all,” Schofield added.
He said the majority of his congregation probably wasn’t raised Methodist to begin with, so there are no denominational purity tests.
“We’re an interesting kind of church in that sense. I just say to people ‘I’m a follower of Jesus.’ Methodism is just the flavor, but it’s not the important thing: The important thing is following the Lord.”
Schofield indicated there would not be a sermon at the gathering, either.
“It’s a fellowship meal to celebrate that God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ, and that’s the greatest gift in the world. We just give as a reflection of that. You know, this is going to sound weird, but to me the church is an open hand. God has given us everything as a gift, and so the church … shouldn’t be about control, or joining a club.”
Instead, Schofield said he views church as “a hospital” for people who are broken and hurting.
“We’re at our finest when the spirit of Christ is within us. We really are. We just welcome people,” he concluded.