Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family
history through old photographs.
This week’s Sepia Saturday photo showing party guests
going through the buffet line could have been taken at any one of the many dinners
at Cradock United Methodist Church. Fellowship Dinners are what most Christian
churches do. Cradock was no
exception. In fact, if there wasn’t a
dinner on the calendar when we were members back in the 1980s and 90s, we thought something was terribly wrong.
There were dinners to thank volunteers.
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| The "roast" for Reverend Ed was packed. How did we even get to our seat? |
There were dinners to bid farewell to a much loved minister and his family.
There were dinners to welcome the new one.
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| Eddie Leonard and Dana Tyson |
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| Audrey Williams was confined to a wheelchair, but she could serve punch. |
There were Bunny Breakfasts for the kids at Easter.
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| The children eagerly watched for the Bunny to arrive. |
I have long forgotten the many chicken casseroles and lemon meringue pies thoughtfully prepared at home by proud cooks, but I distinctly recall wonderful times spent in the kitchen with the men and women who kept that church alive.
People like Helen Barnes.
She was the Kitchen Nazi.
She was good-natured but strict, even intimidating until you got to know her. The kitchen was HER domain and she didn’t let you forget it. That was one clean kitchen, cleaner than any commercial kitchen, without a doubt. Helen didn’t let anyone else wash dishes. You could brush the scraps into the trashcan; you could dry dishes; you could move the dishes to their rightful spot in the cabinets. But nobody messed with Helen’s pride and joy, her commercial dishwasher.
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| Helen at the dishwasher Wow - look at those pans! |
She was good-natured but strict, even intimidating until you got to know her. The kitchen was HER domain and she didn’t let you forget it. That was one clean kitchen, cleaner than any commercial kitchen, without a doubt. Helen didn’t let anyone else wash dishes. You could brush the scraps into the trashcan; you could dry dishes; you could move the dishes to their rightful spot in the cabinets. But nobody messed with Helen’s pride and joy, her commercial dishwasher.
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| Some of the ladies of the Silver Anniversary Circle Mary Williams, Cookie Mutter, Margaret Spruill, Sue Scott, Frances Deyerle, Marian Garrett |
We didn’t run out to a Cosco or Sam’s Club to purchase
pre-packaged entrees and salads; we cooked from scratch. Mary Williams taught me how to make
gravy. Betty Lewis and Margaret Spruill
stood alongside me as we cut loaves of bread into cubes for homemade dressing –
no bag of Pepperidge Farm turkey stuffing for Cradock's annual Thanksgiving Feast. Measuring sage. Mashing potatoes. Shuttling gravy boats to the buffet
table. It was always a flurry of
activity in the kitchen at Cradock Church.
And always laughter.
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| Not much left of the pig except the head ! |
Men like Ray Spruill, George Mutter, and Buddy Lewis couldn’t wait for their turn at the fryer which was tucked behind the church away from public view.
It’s not because they were selfless volunteers. It’s common knowledge that the Methodists were historically teetotalers very active in the temperance movement. The truth is that the men sneaked a cooler of beer into the boiler room in eyeshot of the fish fryer. Men will be boys. One time they were caught by the new preacher who looked at them and said, “I didn’t see a thing.”
It’s true what they say about the power of food to bring
people together, to build community.
People like the Lewises, the Spruills, the Mutters, and Helen Barnes were
the life of Cradock Church. Most of
these fine people are gone now. The
dwindling congregation merged with another Methodist church and Cradock closed
its doors. The property has been
sold. But I have my Cradock Church cookbook
with recipes and names to remind me of so many good times in a church that once
was alive and well feeding its sheep in more ways than with a church dinner.
©
2014, Wendy Mathias. All rights
reserved.
