Harvest Acres slated Saturday

By Melinda L. Lucas

Friendship Baptist Church members are inviting everyone to attend the church’s fourth annual “Harvest Acres” this Saturday, Nov. 23, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to buy homemade baked goods, purchase handcrafted gifts, eat a hot meal, or just “come by and drink some coffee and visit for a while.”

The gift and food bazaar will offer a wide variety of baked and craft items for sale. 

“We will have frozen casseroles specific to Thanksgiving, like sweet potato casserole and rice and broccoli, as well as Mexican casseroles,” said  Friendship member Danita Johnston. “Some of the ladies have made sweet/hot pickles, and there will be a variety of pies and cakes.”

A takeout brown bag lunch starting at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday will consist of pulled pork sandwiches, with meat cooked by Rocky Vinson, along with chips and cookies.

“We will have a few tables available also if you want to sit down and eat here,” said Johnston.

Congregation members will begin serving the evening meal at 5:00 p.m., continuing until 6:30 p.m. as long as people continue to come.

There will be more tables set up for the evening meal, which will be stew, chili, and cornbread.

Free will donations will be accepted for both meal times.

Friendship’s pastor, Paul Johnston, has constructed a number of the tailgate benches he is known for, with those and other items such as small tables and stools to be available by silent auction.

Monies raised from Harvest Acres will be used to benefit the church’s local missions fund.

“The money has been used to help several people with housing issues and medical bills,” said the pastor. “We try to keep this money accessible when people in our community need immediate help.”

Friendship supports other outreach missions regularly, he said, but money raised from Harvest Acres is the church’s ‘emergency’ fund.

Friendship Baptist is located at 600 Greer Street. Harvest Acres is held in the activity center on the south side of the parking lot.