Albany church offers special Dec. 25th meal
By Kathy Thomson
Christmas is less than a week away, and as they have for the past 11 years, volunteers from Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church will make sure that no one in Albany misses out on the chance to enjoy a holiday meal on Christmas Day.
Church members are preparing a traditional dinner of turkey, beef tenderloin, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, and dessert.
“It’s a great time for people to share and fellowship together, the more the merrier,” said Tamara Trail, one of the organizers. “We don’t want anyone to have to be alone for Christmas. There are also a number of people who serve our community that are working Christmas day, and we are glad to share a special lunch with them as well.”
A project of the missions and evangelism team of the church, the event came about originally as a result of the group’s involvement in delivery of Vittles by Vehicles.
“We discovered that Vittles wasn’t delivering on Christmas Day, so we originally decided to cook and deliver for those served through Vittles,” said member Amy Kelly. “Then we started thinking about all of those who may be alone, or may be unable to prepare a meal, and decided to invite everyone.”
According to Trail, the dinner is free to the public, and anyone is welcome.
Typically, well over 100 people are served a Christmas meal at the church, and another 50 or more dinners are delivered.
“We plan to deliver a dinner to each of the seniors that gets Vittles by Vehicle,” said Trail. “We will also deliver to others who are unable to come to the church if they call and let us know.”
Serving will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the church’s fellowship hall and will end around 1:00 p.m. on Christmas Day, Dec. 25.
“My family has been helping for several years now,” said member James Breeden. “We look forward to it every year. It’s a joy to us to get to take the shut-ins their food.”
After delivering meals, Breeden and his family come back to the church and enjoy the Christmas fellowship.
“It’s very meaningful and fun to get to sit down and visit with the seniors who come to the dinner,” he said. “This is something that I’ll continue to do for years to come, I hope.”
Pastor Anthony Ceder and Trail both requested that if possible, those who want a Christmas Day meal call Sandy Ingalls at the church (325-762-2038) ahead of time, so they know how much food to prepare.
“Our congregation is energized by this annual tradition, and we are excited to experience it once again with those who join us this Christmas,” said Ceder. “We pray the meal honors Jesus and our town in a special way.”
