Comment
Print
A free meal will be served to the community beginning Monday, January 20, at First Baptist Church in Forest City and is an extension of the Welcome Table begun a decade ago in Rutherfordton. At that time, First Baptist in Forest City participated in the Welcome Table ministry joining First Baptist, Rutherfordton, United Methodist Church Rutherfordton and the St. Francis Episcopal Church, also in Rutherfordton, serving meals to the community each Monday night.
Beginning January 20, volunteers from First Baptist, Forest City will provide the meal in Forest City. The church pays for the meal and donations are accepted.
Coordinators David Wilkie and Rosalind Walker, members of First Baptist, Forest City, said the community meals will be held the third Monday from 5 to 6:30pm each month in the Family Life Center and are open to everyone who needs a meal and fellowship.
Wilkie said when First Baptist, Forest City began volunteering with the ministry, they served the meal each month at the First United Methodist, Rutherfordton. Churches rotated each week.
Walker said, 'We started working the Welcome Table (in Rutherfordton) when Billy Honeycutt did an interim pastorate at our church about 10 yeas ago."
When the Welcome Table first began, there was inside dining and people came very early just to sit at a table and fellowship with others. They would come in as early as 3:30 and get something to drink and to get out of the cold or heat," said Walker.
"People from our church would visit with them and talk to them, and sometimes they needed that more than the food," Walker continued.
"During the Covid period we suspended the ministry for some time before we started purchasing and mailing out gift cards to the 75 most needy," said Wilkie. After the vaccines were made available, we started serving our Community Neighbors in a "drive through, pick up a to-go meal format. And that is the format that is still in place today," Wilkie said.
First Baptist Forest City volunteers, however wanted to continue the indoor dining, with the objective "to provide a place for people to visit with each other, have conversations and create relationships and just let folks know that we care," said Wilkie.
"Anyone can come and get a meal. You don't have to be needy or homeless. So many have told us they live alone and it is nice to be able to join others and share food and fellowship," she said.
First Baptist Forest City hopes other community churches will join in the future to be able to serve the Welcome Table more than once a month in the area.
"We are very excited to be starting this mission at our church," said Walker.
