By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
The congregation at First Lutheran Church in Geneseo believes in its mission of sharing Christ’s love every day, including Christmas Day, and they invite the public to join them for a free community dinner on Christmas Day.
The dinner will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 25, in the Fellowship Room at First Lutheran Church, 114 East Main St., Geneseo.
In addition to serving a hot meal at the church, the dinner is available for delivery in the Geneseo, Atkinson and Cambridge areas. Arrangements for delivery to those who are homebound can be made by calling the church office, 309-944-3196, or by calling Betsy Brudos, 309-945-5496, by noon on Monday, Dec. 23.
The menu includes turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, salads, rolls and Christmas cookies. There is no charge for the meal and no offering will be taken.
The Rev. Laura Kamprath, lead pastor at First Lutheran, said, “This meal is my favorite meal of the whole year – not just because the food is delicious, but also because it is made with great love and because we share the feast with the whole community. What a beautiful way to celebrate the birth of our Savior, by gathering with brothers and sisters in Jesus’ name. Our church likes to feed people, just like Jesus does.”
The annual Christmas Day Dinner tradition started in 2006 at First Lutheran Church and served approximately 50 people that first year. That number has more than tripled and the committee expects to serve more than 150 people this year.
Janet Larson, who founded the Christmas Day tradition at First Lutheran, said she enjoys serving the community on Christmas Day…”Christmas Day can be the loneliest day of the year, and we invite anyone whom might be alone to join us for a hot meal and fellowship. We hope this meal will be enjoyed by our friends and neighbors who need to feel the love and hope that God provides.”
The church will hold multiple worship services this year and the community is invited to attend. Candlelight, Carols & Communion services are at 4 and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 24. Both services will be live streamed form the church website, www.firstgeneseo.org. Carols and Communion is the 10 a.m. service on Christmas Day, Wednesday, Dec. 25.
