It's almost 4 p.m. in Springlake. Countryside Church parking lot is getting full. The wonderful aroma of roast beef has wafted from the kitchen for hours.

Barry is cutting meat and has siphoned the juices for gravy. I have stirred and stirred and stirred, carefully avoiding lumps. A little more Gravy Master, a dash more pepper.

Phil has mashed the potatoes. Lois and Carol came down early this morning #- to set tables and yes, Marcia has robbed her flower gardens again for decoration. Laurie checked supplies and made Kool Aid. Ginny has been cutting pies for about 20 minutes. Waitresses are arriving (there's Kristen, Samantha and her friend Sam, oh good, Amber is here, Kim and her boyfriend, and the Swan boys # - a good crew.) Pastor Arlene arrives to dish out from the steam table.

Dodie and Lois are filling salad bowls, pickle dishes, butter plates, cutting breads and completing take-out orders. Salads, pies, milk, butter and rolls have been arriving all afternoon. Yep, we are set to go.

Upstairs, Tom (or sometimes, Dewey or Dan) has been selling tickets for about half an hour. Folks often come an hour early to make sure they are in the first seating sometimes making a difference between driving home in the dark and the twilight. We serve neighbors and some from as far as Ithaca and Rochester. At 4 p.m., the Rev. Lorraine asks for silence to bless the food, Elaine rings her “famous” supper bell, calls out the first numbers and the supper has officially begun.

If everything is running smoothly, we've been cleaning as we go, and there is not too much of a back up when Ross arrives. He put out (and designed) the church supper sign on the corner, and now arrives as official dish-washer.

Fortunately, we have a commercial dishwashing machine for most but there is still a lot of loading, scraping and washing by hand.

Coffee carafes are ready, waitresses carefully assess tables making sure dishes are refilled. The chatter stills to a murmur as our patrons enjoy the tender beef.

It is so much fun to see friends being made while passing the gravy, and the greetings from table to table as folks greet those familiar supper-to-supper acquaintances.

About 40 minutes later the first arrivals are ready to head home. The settings are quickly cleared, tables cleaned and made ready for the next hungry family. Efficiently, the next group fills in and the platters and bowls piled high are brought for approval. We have had so many compliments and comments about our “wait-staff.”

We are very proud of our young people #- they are a part of our hard working church and we gratefully acknowledge their contributions.

The kitchen is working well with the kind of shorthand of folks who often work together. “Potatoes, please!” or “Meat!” means that whomever is at the stove needs to fill the steam-table containers.

“Coming through” signals all in the way that something hot or heavy or both is moving from stove to sink. Joe, Shirley, Carol and Marcia have steadily made collaborative decisions about preparing more vegetables, peeling extra potatoes or pulling the sign.

By six o'clock we have fed a couple of sittings and the second crew arrives to eat and fill in. We are thrilled to see Ginger, Todd, Sharlene, Carm, Dan, JoAnne, and John. Early workers find a table, rest and eat. A few latecomers are seated and served, a few “paying patrons” are lingering over coffee and pie.

There is no one waiting for a table and conversation is good. Two and a half to three seatings is a great supper.

We are thankful for the steady, faithful customers who support our supper efforts and thankful for the faithful supporters who cook and clean and serve them. It is the very, very best kind of partnership. Since our next supper isn't until April, 2008, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years.

God bless you, everyone!

Joni Lincoln is the town of Conquest historian.