Fun, ham, beans, and fellowship!
As the summer starts winding down in New England, one of the ministries here at Main Street United Methodist Church starts ramping up: Ham & Bean Suppers.
Starting in October, these suppers draw diners from Nashua and surrounding towns into our vestry on the first Saturday of every month. It may be friends meeting for dinner, families looking for an affordable meal, or singles sharing a meal on a lonely evening. No matter why they come, Main Street welcomes them with smiles, fellowship, and a menu of ham, baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, beverages, and dessert.
But, the ministry of Ham & Bean Suppers is so much more than the food! Preparations begin the week before, when shoppers buy the needed ham, beans, potatoes, and other ingredients for the meal. On Friday morning, the fellowship begins when the big prep team meets to cook potatoes, sort beans, chop ingredients, and measure spices. Early Saturday morning, the smiles continue when a smaller prep team begins cooking beans, chopping cabbage, and mixing cold salads. Team members also set up tables for the main buffet, for the dessert buffet, and for our diners. Signs are posted to guide people inside, to label the buffet items, and the evening's dessert. Things quiet down around the middle of Saturday afternoon as the beans bubble and the hams bake. The delicious aromas are wafting through the church by the time the big Saturday evening crew arrives. At the supper, they sell tickets, greet diners, serve on the buffet, assist diners in the buffet line, serve on the dessert buffet, keep the buffet stocked, wash the dishes, and clean everything up when the meal is over. Then, after the food buyers are reimbursed, all the income from the supper are contributed to the church budget, supporting the other ministries we provide.
So many different crews contribute to making each supper a success, each with a different goal and purpose. Yet, every crew shares the same things: fun and fellowship. Drop in on Friday or Saturday of any supper weekend, and you'll see the smiles and hear the laughter. Come to a supper and see how that joy and fellowship flows out into the community - to the friends who met there, the families enjoying an affordable meal, or the singles sharing a meal with others.
Thank you,
Susan
