A passage in the Bible’s Book of Mark tells how Jesus fed 5,000 followers using five loaves of bread and two fish. On Good Friday, Morning Star Church hoped to provide that many people with a free chicken and noodle dinner.
A steady stream of cars and people moved through the church’s parking lot for the meal and fellowship. The church was not accepting any donations toward the cost of the meal.
James Lowery was surprised the church wouldn’t accept a freewill offering to help cover the cost of the meal.
“This is something you need in these tough economic times,” Lowery said. “A lot of people are down on their luck. This is nice for the community.”
Dixie Henderson learned about the free dinner when her husband brought home a postcard.
“I thought, ‘A free meal, those are the people who make the really good noodles at the [4-H] fair,’” she said. “This is really nice with the way the economy is. It allows people to get a free meal.”
Henderson said her family normally eats a couple of nights at the church’s tent at the fair.
“I was surprised they were doing this,” she said.
Henderson’s daughter, Emily, who is home-schooled, said they took a break from studies to come to the church.
“It’s the only reason I go to the fair,” she said of the chicken and noodles. “I just said if I had to eat these every day for the rest of my life, I would die happy.”
Emily Henderson said the homemade noodles are what makes the meal special.
Church members worked for six weeks to make 400 pounds of the homemade noodles. They also cooked 480 pounds of chicken.
Church member Colette Hoover, whose grandfather Luke Martin was the founding pastor of Morning Star, said there has been a great turnout.
“It was a little overwhelming,” Hoover said when the idea for the meal was first announced. “I wondered if it could be done.”
Joanne Bargerhuff said the dinner was well organized.
“It’s a Godsend,” she said. “It appears the people coming in are the ones that will benefit the most. We were concentrating on the Darrough Chapel area to help meet their needs. I think a lot of people are out of work there. It’s very close to the church, and we wanted to help the community.”
Wanda Stevens volunteered her time on the serving line preparing the carryout meals.
“I thought the idea was wonderful,” she said of the dinner. “There are so many people out of a job right now. We wanted to do this for our city and surrounding communities.”
Stevens said people have offered to make a donation to the church.
“I enjoy meeting the people, they have been so kind,” she said. “It’s possible we would do it again.”
Stevens said the idea came from Don Smith, a Sunday school teacher.
“God was telling him to do this,” she said. “Don always guides us in the right direction.”
Youth Pastor Jeff Evans was keeping track of the carryout orders and those to be delivered.
Evans said there were 1,500 carryout orders called in before Friday and 140 people had walked in by noon.
“We have never done anything like this before,” he said. “We didn’t know what to expect.”
Evans said he was wowed by the idea. He said the church was serving in one day the same amount of meals served in four days at the fair.
“This is exciting,” he said. “Sometimes it’s good to take on a new challenge.”
The three Howard County commissioners are sponsoring a free chicken and noodle dinner from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Howard Masonic Temple, 316 N. Washington St.
The commissioners are paying for the cost of the meal. No tax dollars are being used, and no donations will be accepted.
Ken de la Bastide can be reached at (765) 454-8580 or via e-mail at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com
Local News
Related Photos
Discussion
Church serves up free meal
Goal is to serve 5,000 dinners
- Local News
-
-
Venue change doesn't deter crowds from Chocolate Celebration
It was a different shell for Kokomo’s biggest candy event, but the chocolaty tastes and aromas inside were the same as always.
-
Walk will honor shooting victims
Following a string of random shootings that left two Kokomo residents dead and three others hospitalized, several members of the shaken community have been moved to organize a Peace Walk to pray for the victims and their families.
-
Peru to cut 2012 budget
The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance issued a mandate last week requiring the city of Peru to cut $783,000 from its 2012 budget.
-
Haynes records $8.4M profit
Earnings fell short of what Haynes International Inc. originally expected for its first fiscal quarter of 2012, as the company profited $8.4 million.
-
Brady’s admission catches NFL off guard
NFL Super Bowl officials were hoping to score some major media attention with the arrest of a “web pirate” accused of illegally streaming sporting events over the Internet.
-
Haynes International posts $8.4M profit
The Kokomo-based high-performance-alloy manufacturer's profits are up more than $3 million from a year earlier.
-
Crash claims one
A 21-year-old Sharpsville woman died at the scene of a single-vehicle crash on U.S. 31 near the Tipton-Howard county line, which was one of two serious crashes in Howard County Thursday.
-
Newville is found guilty in rape case
Jurors in Howard Circuit Court took just four hours Thursday afternoon to convict 49-year-old Steven Newville of attempted rape, criminal confinement, battery and receiving stolen property.
-
The Material Girl comes to Indianapolis
Suddenly, she arrived, with her famous bleach blond hair, the almond-shaped eyes, the ruby-red lips.
Madonna, in the flesh, was standing in front of about 500 media members, in Indianapolis.
-
Police: Struggle leads to K-9 bite
A man police say punched and choked a police K-9 during a foot chase Wednesday faces multiple charges, including battery on a police service animal.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Killer of Fla. Girl Found in Landfill Gets Life
Army Orders Bradley Manning Court-martial
Cancer Charity Revives Breast-screening Grants
Heavy Snowstorm Hits Colorado On Its Way East
2nd Teacher From LA School Arrested on Sex Claim
Prosecutors Close Armstrong Inquiry, No Charges
Sights and Sounds: Football Fans Pour Into Indy
Unemployment Rate Down to 8.3%
Obama: Still Far Too Many Americans Need Jobs
GOP: Jobs Numbers Welcome, Can Do Better
Fla. Man Adopts Girlfriend in Legal Battle
More Deaths As Egypt Clashes Continue
Raw Video: Prince William in Falklands
Egpyt Protesters Blame Police for Soccer Deaths
'Lucky' 9-Year-Old Receives 6-Organ Transplant
Raw Video: Michelle Vs. Ellen in Pushup Contest
First Person: Will Peyton Manning Stay in Indy?
Egypt Shaken After Deadly Soccer Riot
New Suits, New Starts for New York's Unemployed
Hall of Famer Dorsett Speaks Out on NFL Injuries
