Loading of grain of corn in the tractor trailer
December 14, 2016
As wagons full of corn—not to mention truckloads of gravel and dirt—circle the United Church of Crawfordsville, Iowa, surely the harvest is nearing.
Or at least the church’s eagerly awaited harvest supper and auctioneer.
Held this year on Saturday, October 22, the annual event was a highlight of the community’s calendar and the congregation’s single largest fundraiser in support of its annual budget, 10 percent of which is directed to mission. The small congregation—a member of the Presbytery of East Iowa—is located in a town of fewer than 300 people.
“What is unique about the event is that people in the community that go to church in neighboring towns come over and donate for the auction,” said Donna Fletcher, who serves as church secretary. “There’s a man who donates dirt and gravel every year. Then people come and bid on things, because everybody knows that they’re donating to the church. We get a lot of donated grain and homemade products for the auction, like pies.”
A joint witness between the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the United Methodist Church, the Crawfordsville Church is served by the Rev. Jason Collier, who also pastors the nearby Ainsworth Community Church. And while the Crawfordsville Church averages around 50 in Sunday worship attendance, it serves upwards of 300 guests at its annual harvest supper.
“The women of the church make creamed chicken and biscuits from scratch,” said Fletcher, who explained that the women receive a freewill offering to cover the cost of the meal, which also includes beef burgers, salads and pies. “To serve 300, they prepare 45 pounds of chicken legs and 50 pounds of chicken breasts. That’s a lot of creamed chicken and biscuits.”
Emily Enders Odom, Mission Communication Strategist
Today’s Focus: Presbytery of East Iowa
Let us join in prayer for:
Ainsworth Community Church Staff
Rev. Jason Collier, Pastor
Amy Sara Richardson, Youth/Family Ministry
Jan Temple, Secretary
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Dina Martinez, PMA
Mary Martinez, PMA
Let us pray
Dear God, please open our eyes to the mission fields in our neighborhoods. We pray for your help in making us bold in sharing Jesus’ love by giving our time and smiles as your missionaries. Amen.
Daily Lectionary
Morning Psalms 50; 147:1-11
First Reading Isaiah 9:8-17
Second Reading 2 Peter 2:1-10a
Gospel Reading Mark 1:1-8
Evening Psalms 53; 17
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