Part I
Church supper. The words bring a mental picture of a steepled white clapboard structure, home baking and big ovens pouring out savory smells. It is also about communities coming together to support their local place of worship. Church suppers happen all across our country featuring oysters, chicken and biscuits, barbecues, baked ham and roast beef. Conquest and Spring Lake Methodist churches have generations of suppers in their church histories. Election Day suppers, Bazaar suppers, Ladies Aide suppers, campership suppers are only some of the feasts prepared by church ladies over the decades.
When Conquest and Spring Lake churches combined to form Countryside United Methodist, new church traditions were born. In the early days of the merger, the supper chair would decide what meat to feature and what side dishes would accompany the entree. After a few years, we realized that roast beef was by far our most popular supper so we decided to specialize and for the past 20 years, have been serving the tenderest roasts to loyal crowds. Following the recent success of our Oct. 6 supper, and precluding our Nov. 3, I thought you might be interested to know just how supper traditions get started.
Ideally, supper chairmen are appointed for the fall and spring supper seasons at a church board meeting. Failing that, board chair Phil Waterman individually asks an experienced churchwoman to take the helm of at least one supper. Then the ‘well-oiled' supper machine begins to function.
Years ago each chair asked someone to be in charge of 1) the kitchen, 2) the dining room, 3) advertising, and 4) tickets. One glitch in the newly combined church supper strategy was that in Conquest, the pie cutter was selected by the dining room chair (who also recruited waitresses and waiters) and in Spring Lake, the overall supper chair (usually the kitchen person) asked one of two or three skilled slicers to cut and serve pie. I had the unhappy task of admitting to Clara Burgdorf, a rather formidable lady at best, that I had my signals crossed and would she please cut pies for a church supper only two days away. She graciously assented and perhaps smiled and shook her head a bit at the ineptitude of the ‘younger' set.
Each of the supper chairs is assisted by the Supper Book. This tome chronicles fabulous information about oven settings and timing for perfect roast beef, who can and will make pies, salad, rolls and brown bread and who can be counted upon to peel potatoes and wash dishes. Over the years this treasured book tells a precise history of our suppers, including the cost of the meat. Crossed out names signify a move or a death, handwritten notes document the years Marie Southwick provided gallons of home frozen corn and Marian Lincoln's recipe for the gravy liquor (mixture of flour and water for thickening). Thank you Gabe Whitman for documenting that before it was too late.
Next month, we'll continue with the supper saga - get your taste buds ready.
Joni Lincoln is the town of
Conquest historian
When Conquest and Spring Lake churches combined to form Countryside United Methodist, new church traditions were born. In the early days of the merger, the supper chair would decide what meat to feature and what side dishes would accompany the entree. After a few years, we realized that roast beef was by far our most popular supper so we decided to specialize and for the past 20 years, have been serving the tenderest roasts to loyal crowds. Following the recent success of our Oct. 6 supper, and precluding our Nov. 3, I thought you might be interested to know just how supper traditions get started.
Ideally, supper chairmen are appointed for the fall and spring supper seasons at a church board meeting. Failing that, board chair Phil Waterman individually asks an experienced churchwoman to take the helm of at least one supper. Then the ‘well-oiled' supper machine begins to function.
Years ago each chair asked someone to be in charge of 1) the kitchen, 2) the dining room, 3) advertising, and 4) tickets. One glitch in the newly combined church supper strategy was that in Conquest, the pie cutter was selected by the dining room chair (who also recruited waitresses and waiters) and in Spring Lake, the overall supper chair (usually the kitchen person) asked one of two or three skilled slicers to cut and serve pie. I had the unhappy task of admitting to Clara Burgdorf, a rather formidable lady at best, that I had my signals crossed and would she please cut pies for a church supper only two days away. She graciously assented and perhaps smiled and shook her head a bit at the ineptitude of the ‘younger' set.
Each of the supper chairs is assisted by the Supper Book. This tome chronicles fabulous information about oven settings and timing for perfect roast beef, who can and will make pies, salad, rolls and brown bread and who can be counted upon to peel potatoes and wash dishes. Over the years this treasured book tells a precise history of our suppers, including the cost of the meat. Crossed out names signify a move or a death, handwritten notes document the years Marie Southwick provided gallons of home frozen corn and Marian Lincoln's recipe for the gravy liquor (mixture of flour and water for thickening). Thank you Gabe Whitman for documenting that before it was too late.
Next month, we'll continue with the supper saga - get your taste buds ready.
Joni Lincoln is the town of
Conquest historian
The Citizens' Say
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