Church opens hearts, doors
For many, Thanksgiving is a time for families to reconnect with one another around the dinner table over turkey and all the trimmings, but for others it has become a day of humble service.
This is the 21st year for the Thanksgiving lunch hosted by Grand Avenue United Methodist, 841 Quapaw Ave. Each year, the congregation opens its doors and their hearts to all members of the community and
provides a traditional Thanksgiving meal free of charge.
“Our congregation exists not only for our members but for the mission field around us. It is very important to engage all of the people who are in this corner of God’s kingdom, no matter who they are or where they come from,” said Pastor David Flemming.
The church feeds around 400 people in the community each year with half those coming for a meal staying to dine and fellowship with members of the congregation. Those who stay are greeted with open arms and always leave with a full stomach since the church encourages a hearty second helping.
“We just had a member of our church who felt like there was a need in our community to provide a Thanksgiving meal. I started with that original team and we actually just remade the recipes. We just took someone’s home recipe and we just kept changing the yield until it fit the number of people we are serving.”
“Several people do come and get meals to take them to people, as well. We have someone who knows people at the Aristocrat, so a lot of times, they will stand in line to get multiple plates and then deliver them, ” said Tonja Bolding, who organizes the meal each year.
The meals consist of traditional Thanksgiving fare, including turkey, cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes, green beans, rolls, cranberry sauce and a wide array of desserts. Everyone who attends leaves with a homemade loaf of bread to serve as a snack later down the line, a Bible, and an invitation to attend the church’s weekly free meal at its Table of Grace.
“We have people that will come to just grab a cup of coffee and sit at a table to visit with people. A lot of the homeless population seems to lack interactions, so they really love having someone sit next to them and just visit,” she said.
For the Bolding family, this is the only way they’ve celebrated Thanksgiving for the past 21 years and several members of the church’s congregation have been contributing to the lunch for around 10 or more years. For Destiny Phillips, 18, and her family, this is their first year participating and she believes it will become part of her family’s holiday tradition for years to come.
“My family and I always wanted to do this but we just never had the time because we always had family coming to our house for Thanksgiving. This year, we decided to come here in the morning and help everyone else,” she said.
“It feels great to donate my time. These people have been through a lot and I think that’s what people need to understand and help them with. That’s why I love this church so much because we’re always helping others. I think it is time for young people to start looking and helping others instead of just thinking about themselves,” Phillips said.
This is not the only time throughout the year that the church opens their doors to provide those in need with a hearty meal; every Sunday night at 5 p.m. volunteers host what they call a Table of Grace. According to Flemming, he felt compelled as a pastor to bring forth the idea of a monthly meal to his congregation. Much to his surprise, the congregation took it a step further and decided to host a weekly meal.
Every Sunday, a rotation of volunteers has food prepared and a table set for anyone in the community to come and enjoy food and fellowship. Flemming said on average anywhere between 75 to 80 people attend Table of Grace each week. The doors to Table of Grace open at 4:30 p.m. with live music serving as entertainment and dinner is served at 5 p.m.
Grand Avenue United Methodist Church was just one of nearly 10 nonprofit organizations, community volunteer organizations, or churches donating their time on Thanksgiving to feeding the hungry.