Whewww…we made it through. In spite of various obstacles we “Got-er-done.” It’s always great to be able to look in the rear-view-mirror of life and see some long-anticipated event behind us and accomplished. It’s even better when all those participating seem to be having fun. The event that I am speaking of is our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feed!
People in our church have been working on it, planning for it, seeking donations and volunteers, and arranging all the details for months. To say that a lot of energy was expended in preparation for this event would be an understatement. There was even a point within the last week in which we wondered if it was even going to be possible to hold the event, because of incoming inclement weather. However, the weather cooperated, for the most part, and the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feed happened as scheduled.
It was great to see the various people here at the church the day before Shrove Tuesday making preparations for the feed; tables set up, placemats set out, signs put up, serving tables set in their place, etc. There is so much more that goes into hosting a pancake feed than just having Chris’s Cakes set up their grills.
Speaking of Chris’s Cakes, it was great to see those fun-loving pancake flippers here again. To hear some of their old jokes…and a few new ones, as well as to see the pancakes flying through the air again toward their unsuspecting recipients. And of course, the pancake feed just wouldn’t be the same without the people of the community who turned out to eat pancakes. There was lots of laughter, lots of conversation, lots of reconnecting (after all, it has been three years since we last had the Shrove Tuesday Feed) and of course a lot of eating going on. It was a good day!!
I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone involved. There are so many to thank I’m not even going to attempt to start naming them all. In fact, that’s what makes the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feed such a great event, in my books, the way that it involves so many people from our church family. Yes, the pancake feed is a fundraiser for the church. But even if it wasn’t, I believe it is still a great event simply because of the way it brings people together to accomplish a purpose and to connect with the community.
The Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feed, in my opinion, is such a great event because it becomes a miniature version of what the greater church is really supposed to be about…people giving of their time, using their ability, working with others to serve others and make the world just a bit better. Who would have thought that pancakes could make the world a bit better. But it did…for just a moment or two…or most of the day this past Tuesday.
Yes, I’m guessing everyone is already looking forward to next year, which by the way, Shrove Tuesday is February 13, 2024. But the main lesson for me about our pancake feed is that it takes so many people giving of themselves and serving to make it happen. That is also when the church, the Body of Christ, is at its best. Our Pancake feed is effective and successful only because of the great number of people involved. This is also when the Church is at its best…when we’re all involved living and serving for something bigger than ourselves, God’s Kingdom. Thank you all for Shrove Tuesday!! Let’s keep on serving together for God’s Kingdom to be fulfilled through this body we call…the Church!!
Learning Lovingkindness…
Pastor Keith