The Feast of Love

For the third consecutive Christmas Day, First United Methodist Church of Chestertown, MD hosted the Feast of Love dinner. The dinner is a complete, traditional Christmas  meal consisting of turkey with dressing and gravy, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, corn, green beans and a selection of homemade pies for dessert—free to all who would come! The Feast of Love has become an event which gives the whole community an opportunity to be a blessing. Whole families give up large parts of their Christmas Day to come and serve—and look forward to it every year! A local bakery donated the breads, a local restaurant baked the turkeys. The Presbyterian Church in town donated the beautiful poinsettias that graced the tables and people from many local churches and civic groups baked the pies, served the meal, and did clean up chores. The Feast of Love came out of the heart and prayers of a member of First Church, Yvonne Arrowood and her work with Women In Need, a local   ministry which helps women and at-risk children. She felt the Lord had given her an example of a way to bless those in need: homeless people, lonely people, seniors, families, etc. at Christmas, through the pattern of the Old Testament feasts. At each feast there was a remembrance of all of God’s goodness in bringing them together and  roviding for them, there would be prayer, music, joy and celebration, and (of course) food! And that is exactly what happens at the Feast of Love. The event has grown from about 80 people the first year to 135 the second year and over 200 people this past Christmas.