My goodness! It’s almost that time again. Where has the year gone? Time to start remembering and planning!!! Remembering is one of the best parts of Thanksgiving; family, friends, even strangers, one way or another; we have had it all at Good Shepherd.

I remember one Thanksgiving when a woman walked in and asked if she could join us. She seemed unhappy and I was so glad to be able to say “of course, won’t you sit with my husband and me?” She later told us that she had had a very difficult week and just got in the car and started to drive. She saw all the cars parked and came up the hill to see what was going on. This was the first Thanksgiving she had ever had alone. She left a bit lighter in spirit and certainly not hungry with a new understanding about being thankful. I don’t remember her name, she was not from around here; I am so glad she had us in her life for a while and that I had her in my life.

I remember my first Thanksgiving at Good Shepherd. We had been attending Good Shepherd for several years. Then the last of the kids went off to college. Empty nest. I really did not want them coming home in the holiday traffic and they all got invitations to dinner with friends. There was no way the two of us could eat all I wanted to cook. For a couple of years we actually went out to eat. Then we decided to give Good Shepherd a try. Dave Smucker was reigning over the kitchen. The food was great and we had a good time. We helped clean up. Later I asked if I could help cook. Dave set me to work and taught me what was involved. After 2 years he handed the sauce spoon over to me and I started “doing” Thanksgiving at church. I have never regretted it nor enjoyed an afternoon nap more.

It never ever occurred to me that there could be a carry out Thanksgiving Dinner; especially not at church. Covid taught me differently. I think those 2 Thanksgivings were some of the best I have ever celebrated. Mili and I changed the menu slightly, and talked about what kind of packaging we should use and set it up. Because of Covid restrictions we cut down on the kitchen staff. When the pick-up day approached I called for help to package and hand out the meals. I was thinking of 3 or 4 people. The response was overwhelming. 28 people volunteered. When I figured out the people were so hungry for “church” and that’s why so many volunteered I said OK to everyone. I figured if all each of them did was put one meal in an Ingles bag that was OK. We could all have our masks in place and remember to bump fists instead of hug, we could do church. We went to the service that was being broadcast, sat well apart from each other, and were served communion. What a happy day!!

Each year the Good Shepherd Thanksgiving dinner is a joy to prepare and wonderful to attend. The beautiful decorations, the scrumptious deserts, and the smells emanating from the kitchen, make this a wonderful Church Family celebration. We are ready to do it again this year and we need your help!

As always, the Parish Life Ministry will provide the turkey (4 twenty pounders), ham (2 spiral cut), mashed potatoes (25 pounds of potatoes), gravy (gallons), bread dressing (4 large packages of Pepperidge Farm), and a wild rice stuffing. We also will have the usual drinks, including some Wassail Punch (non-alcoholic), and some wine. And last but not least, enough cool whip to top your deserts. We need you to fill out the rest of the meal.

If you plan to attend please sign up and give us an idea of what side dish and/or desert you plan to bring. We really need you to sign up because we need to know how many places to set and if maybe we need yet another turkey. It just makes sense to sign up so we will be well prepared to feed you. When you do sign up, you will have an opportunity to list what you want to bring. This makes sense too. After all, though we are grateful for whatever comes, we really won’t need a dozen green bean casseroles and no pie on the desert table.

We also need help to set up and clean up. We have streamlined the cooking so much that we don’t need as many people doing the cooking during the week. We do need folks to be there greeting attendees, taking food, and slicing pies and cakes; two very important jobs. Sign-up sheets will be in the hallway in a week or so.

Questions? Call or email Mili Arias or Kathy Wright. Numbers and addresses are in the church directory. -Kathy Wright, Mili Arias, and the Parish Life Ministry