Sitting around a table and sharing a meal gives people a chance to slow down, interact and get to know each other a little bit better, according to the Rev. Bob Machamer, pastor of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Boyertown.
“Especially at this busy time of the year; it’s the perfect time,” he said Wednesday morning as church members and guests began gathering for the congregation’s annual Christmas dinner.
The church has been serving the holiday meal for decades, he noted.
“This is the perfect place to celebrate the love that we have for one another,” he said.
The event, which is open to all, is a way of bringing the community together, said Shannon Omlor, communications coordinator for the church.
“This is a great time to come and hang out with other people and just be together,” she said.
Last Christmas the church served 220 people, and as many or more were expected this year, she said.
Bill Miles and Lucy Trainer were among the first to arrive and sit down to the hearty meal of turkey, ham, potato filling, green beans and other sides, followed by a selection of homemade desserts.
“It’s delicious,” Miles said.
The Royersford, Montgomery County, couple said this is the third year they have enjoyed Christmas dinner at St. John’s.
“I am impressed by the number of volunteers,” Trainer said, as the corps bustled about bringing more gravy, refilling glasses and whisking away empty plates.
Although some of the nearly 60 volunteers belong to the church, Omlor said, many others are drawn from the community and other churches by a desire to serve others.
That was the case for volunteer Betsy Manning of Pottstown.
“I just wanted a day of service for Christmas,” she said, noting her desire to give rather than receive.
When she saw a flyer about the dinner, she offered to help.
“I plan to make this part of my Christmas tradition,” she said. “This is what churches should do, feed people.”
The event is about feeding people, Omlor said, but it is more than that.
“We want to build relationships with people,” she said.
Building intentional relationships, ones that require an effort and focus on building meaningful bonds, is part of the mission of St. John’s, the pastor said.
Reflecting on the meaning of Christmas, Machamer added, “I think God came here with really two things: love God and love your neighbor. And we’re seeing a lot of that going on right now.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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