First Assembly of God to serve Christmas Day meal in Washington

WASHINGTON – The First Assembly of God Church in Washington will host its second annual Christmas Day meal Wednesday, Dec. 25.

The church took over the tradition of providing a Christmas Day meal last year from the Washington Church of God, which started it years ago. The Church of God reached a point where it could no longer organize a meal on its own, and handed the baton to the First Assembly of God Church.

The meal will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church, located at 1602 E. Washington St. in Washington. The menu includes turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, corn, rolls, cake and several kinds of pies. There is no charge for the meal. Donations will be accepted.

Last year, the First Assembly of God Church served 250 meals, including 50 deliveries. It's offering deliveries again this year. To request a delivery, call the church at 319-653-3749, preferably no later than Monday, Dec. 23. For those who wish to eat at the church, reservations are appreciated but are not necessary. The church's pastor, David Watson, said it's nice to know how many people plan to attend so the church has a sense of how much food to prepare. For the time being, it's preparing to serve 300 meals.

Watson said one of the purposes of the Christmas meal is to reach out to those without a family or who have to spend it away from their loved ones for whatever reason. He could see the value of providing those people with company on a day when many others are celebrating the holiday surrounded by relatives.

'Some of them may be elderly folks, and others might be alone because their kids have moved away,” Watson said. 'We don't want anybody to miss the Christmas experience. For some people, Christmas is not a joyous time, either because they have experienced a loss or their family has moved away. We want them to come together for fellowship so they can experience the true joy of Christmas.”

Watson said some people come to the dinner because they want to volunteer by serving or cleaning up. He said it's an opportunity for adults to show their children what Christmas is all about.

'We'll take as many volunteers as we can get,” Watson said.

Those who wish to volunteer can call the church's number listed above or can send a message through the church's Facebook page.

Some of the food, such as the pies, are baked in advance. Other things, like the vegetables, are cut before the meal, too, but some of the food has to be cooked that day. Some members of the congregation arrive as early as 5 or 6 a.m. that morning to make the final preparations so the food is ready by 11 a.m. Others come in at 1 p.m. to wash the dishes and sweep the floors.

'It's a production, but a worthwhile production,” Watson said. 'It's a fantastic time when you hear the laughter of all the people coming in.”

Watson said about 60 businesses sponsor different food items and equipment so the church can supply the meal without breaking the bank. The grocery stores in town, Walmart, Hy-Vee and Fareway, all contribute something for the feast. Graber Farms donates the turkeys, and Café Dodici donates ham.

'It's been very humbling to see all the community support,” Watson said. 'A lot of communities in Iowa might not have what we have here.”