Fairfield First Baptist Church gives away meals

FAIRFIELD – Fairfield First Baptist Church did a good deed this past weekend when the church prepared 20 bags of meals to give away to those in need.

Ashley Worley, a member of the church, said the church gave away the meals on Sunday, Dec. 7, marking the second year in a row it has done such a thing.

“We’ve been asking ourselves this very important question, ‘If our church closed its doors, would anyone even notice?’” Worley said. “That’s driving our community-focused missions, because we know food insecurity is a big deal in rural communities, and we wanted to make sure we were doing something to serve those families in need this holiday season.”

A typical prepared meal bag consists of peanut butter, rice, canned chicken and ham, spaghetti sauce, pasta, canned vegetables, macaroni and cheese, and cornbread. Worley said the church focuses on meals that are easy to prepare, even for kids, requiring perhaps only a microwave or simple ingredients, like just adding water. Any bags that were not distributed Sunday would go to the Little Free Pantries throughout town.

This past Sunday was advertised as “casual Sunday,” and Worley said that was done to signal that everyone is welcome at Fairfield First Baptist Church.

“Some people think a barrier to coming to church is that they don’t have enough clothes, and we want anybody to know that they can come as they are, in pajamas, sports gear, we don’t care,” she said. “We want to welcome them and make them feel loved.”

This event is just one of many examples of outreach the church does. Every Wednesday, it provides a family meal open to anyone at 5:30 p.m. (provided the weather does not cancel school), followed by youth programming from 6-7 p.m. for children in grades kindergarten through 12th grade.

On Dec. 14 at 5:30 p.m., the church will host its Children’s Christmas Program. It will hold a candlelight service at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and a New Year’s Eve potluck with bingo and prizes at 6 p.m. on Dec. 31.

A big project the church is working on for 2026 is a series of local mini-missions, reaching out to families in need who the church’s parishioners can serve.

“If someone needs a yard mowed or a home that needs decluttering, we can help get that to Goodwill for them,” Worley said.

The church is open to nominations, which can be made by emailing officefbc@lisco.com.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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