As a pastor of average-sized Southern Baptist churches, sometimes above and sometimes below, I always enjoyed the routine of fellowships, after worship finger food, Wednesday evening meals, VBS snacks, class socials and any other occasion where folks showed up and shared food.
I figure an average of twice a month for thirty years, probably more. Gazillions of calories (but I would have eaten anyway, right?), countless hours in casual conversation with church folks and their families and some guests.
This is retail pastoring, an informal setting where the pastor can get to know people, have casual conversations, and build relationships. It’s indispensable to being a pastor and to a church having a family feeling.
It is also pretty good eating.
In all these years I am aware of just once where a bad dish made a number of people sick. One homecoming recently the guest preacher and many others had a nasty intestinal sort of thing shortly after the meal.
“Oops, sorry about that brother. Glad you’re better.”
To this day, I don’t think anyone knows what dish caused it. Maybe someone’s deviled eggs. Maybe someone’s potato salad. Perhaps someone’s home-canned botulism ridden beans. I have no idea. We don’t operate under health department rules or inspections.
It’s a wonder this doesn’t happen more often.
Baptist Press has an article on food safety and potluck suppers: Sickness at potluck highlights food safety. A lady died from one such event in Ohio. Good article that is worth reading. I don’t argue with anything the said about food safety. It’s just that for every potluck I’ve ever attended, we were at the mercy of Aunt Thelma, Miss Bertie Mae, and Billy Bob with his speshul bbq. We all understand: shut up and eat.
Once, while visiting in the home of a wonderful, faithful eighty-something church member, I asked how she made her biscuits so tasty. With a twinkle in her eye she pulled a big can of lard (look it up whippersnapper), opened it up and said, “Preacher, I just take my hand like this and scoop out enough ’til I think the dough looks right.”
Sorry I asked. But they were mighty good. I’m a numbers guy. The lady was in her eighties. How bad could it be to eat them?
One church made a big stew that took all day Saturday and from early morning to eatin’ time on Sunday. Had a small screen structure just for the hash making. It was always very clean and the stew very good though with almost lethal cholesterol content. The hash didn’t have a food label, so no one knows what was in it, how many calories, or what lipid levels or other stuff that would make nutritionists scream in terror. It was mighty good also.
You bet. Wash your hands often. I’m a true believer in hand sanitizer (especially on hospital visits). I certainly hope you don’t ever have a disaster like the unfortunate church in the Baptist Press story.
But the old covered dish supper is worth the risk.
‘d advise my younger, goateed, shirttail flapping colleagues to just go and eat. And don’t be asking for vegan cheese, tempeh, or chia.
If you bring sushi, expect to be fired. You deserve it.
“If you bring sushi, expect to be fired. You deserve it.”
This is being added to our church policy manual immediately! 🙂
And for the more traditional churches,
please cut back on the
pimento cheese and the
three bean salad.
David R. Brumbelow
There are two things that Southern Baptists know how to do … worship and eat! Sometimes, the dinner on the ground does a lot more for people than just the preaching and the singing. Sweet fellowship.
Regarding sanitation of those covered dishes at summer gatherings in temps approaching 100 … we’re supposed to be able to drink any deadly thing, but I’m not sure about eating deadly things in such climate. However, Sister Beth’s sweet-tea sugar load is probably more deadly than the deadly dimension covered by Scripture. I always opt for the fried chicken and potato chips … avoiding slaw, deviled eggs, and anything coated with flies (except apple pie). Bottom-line, covered dish carry-in suppers beat whipppersnapper pizza parties any day!
“Sometimes, the dinner on the ground does a lot more for people than just the preaching and the singing.”
Uhhh… I’m assuming you’re joking, right? Just want to make sure 🙂
Depends on the preacher ;^)
Shouldn’t that be, “Dinner on the Grounds”?
I always considered the “s” in grounds to be important.
David R. Brumbelow
Oh certainly Brother Brumbelow … the “s” makes all the difference! ;^)
Personally, I always target dishes prepared by the little old ladies I trust … those “Dinner on the Grounds” veterans who prepare and protect their carry-in items with love. It’s safe to go with delights whipped up by the County Fair blue ribbon gals! Of course, I have to go through a flurry of fork attacks to snare those cherished items!
All the old East Texans said “Dinner on the ground.” I think that was the standard until we got too high-falutin (that, and the fact that way back yonder it really was spread on the ground, picnic sytle).
Or maybe that was picnic “style”. 🙂
There are a few of us “young whippersnappers” who have held to the older ways. My father-in-law taught me to barbeque over hickory coals, for which I am extremely thankful. Most folks – including the older crowd – aren’t patient enough to wait 4 hours for a chicken quarter to cook. They just want to push their button or crank up the gas on the grill. That’s not how we roll in the Black Belt though. By the time we’re done the chicken falls off the bone and melts on your tongue. Mmmm… now I’m just hungry!
“… barbeque over hickory coals …”
Your daddy taught you right, Bob! There are two BBQ abominations of desolation: (1) cooking with gas, and (2) using lighter fluid to start the charcoal (taints the meat). If you ain’t got the patience to slow-cook meat over hickory or apple chips, grab dinner in town.
Heh. My wife fusses at me because I insisted on a Weber and a starter chimney for cooking out. We occasionally put more complex woods in, but just charcoal is worth the effort for steak, chicken, and veggies (not to mention hotdogs and “wurst”.) My brother uses a smoker to great effect, too, but I get nervous about long cooking times.
If you would like to improve your food safety, the USDA has a webpage for that. The key thing is this since most of the food is prepared elsewhere:
Basics for Handling Food Safely
Shopping
Storage
Preparation
Thawing
Cooking
Serving
Leftovers
Refreezing
Cold Storage Chart
Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage are essential to prevent foodborne illness. You can’t see, smell, or taste harmful bacteria that may cause illness. In every step of food preparation, follow the four steps of the Food Safe Families campaign to keep food safe:
Clean — Wash hands and surfaces often.
Separate — Don’t cross-contaminate.
Cook — Cook to the right temperature.
Chill — Refrigerate promptly.
Shopping
Purchase refrigerated or frozen items after selecting your non-perishables.
Never choose meat or poultry in packaging that is torn or leaking.
Do not buy food past “Sell-By,” “Use-By,” or other expiration dates.
[Top of Page]
Storage
Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours—1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F (32.2 ºC).
Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer. The refrigerator should be at 40 °F (4.4 ºC) or below and the freezer at 0 °F (-17.7 ºC) or below.
Cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and variety meats within 2 days; other beef, veal, lamb, or pork, within 3 to 5 days.
Perishable food such as meat and poultry should be wrapped securely to maintain quality and to prevent meat juices from getting onto other food.
To maintain quality when freezing meat and poultry in its original package, wrap the package again with foil or plastic wrap that is recommended for the freezer.
Canned foods are safe indefinitely as long as they are not exposed to freezing temperatures, or temperatures above 90 °F. If the cans look ok, they are safe to use. Discard cans that are dented, rusted, or swollen. High-acid canned food (tomatoes, fruits) will keep their best quality for 12 to 18 months; low-acid canned food (meats, vegetables) for 2 to 5 years.
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Preparation
Always wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.
Don’t cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from other food. After cutting raw meats, wash cutting board, utensils, and countertops with hot, soapy water.
Cutting boards, utensils, and countertops can be sanitized by using a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water.
Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish in the refrigerator.
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Thawing
Refrigerator: The refrigerator allows slow, safe thawing. Make sure thawing meat and poultry juices do not drip onto other food.
Cold Water: For faster thawing, place food in a leak-proof plastic bag. Submerge in cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately after thawing.
Microwave: Cook meat and poultry immediately after microwave thawing.
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Cooking
Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F (62.8 ºC) as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.
Ground meats: Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F (71.1 ºC) as measured with a food thermometer.
Poultry: Cook all poultry to an internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C) as measured with a food thermometer.
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Serving
-Hot food should be held at 140 °F (60 °C) or warmer.
-Cold food should be held at 40 °F (4.4 ºC) or colder.
-When serving food at a buffet, keep food hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers, and warming trays. Keep food cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice or use small serving trays and replace them often.
-Perishable food should not be left out more than 2 hours at room temperature—1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F (32.2 ºC).
I meant to only copy the Serving section at the bottom. My apologies.
Thanks for the info Greg. Weber charcoal grills and a starter chimney are the way to go. That darn charcoal lighter fluid is not only hazardous to use, but flavors the meat with a nice petroleum taste.
After reading some of the comments, I will probably sneak in my own hot dog at the next church dinner.
Thanks for sharing Greg! Very good info!
I simply cannot eat at church functions unless my wife or myself has made the dish. I almost died once because of food poisoning, the doctor thought he was going to lose me in the ER.
There are too many animal lovers in the church today, who doesn’t think once about washing their hands after handling their dog and cat.
I’m sorry, I just can’t take it. I do love the fellowship.
Nice timing for me to read this article. I’ll be taking my wife to help with the Wednesday night meal in about 90 minutes. Gonna be kinda hard to wait now (they don’t EVER let me have any early munchies, even though I hang around and make the coffee). ~(:<((
A deacon was asked to say grace over the church dinner when he noticed his wife uncover the casserole dish that she had prepared from countless refrigerator leftovers. “I don’t know,” he said dubiously. “It seems to me that I’ve blessed all this stuff before.”
I currently am a member of a 4Square church. Food is a big deal there and a major line item in the budget. Everyone gets doughnuts and (Starbuck’s) coffee between services on Sundays. I think that Baptists might look and learn on that.
“Everyone gets doughnuts and (Starbuck’s) coffee between services on Sundays.”
Welcome to SBC church plants!
Regarding pot luck, it’s usually best not to ask. Give thanks, dig in, and enjoy. If there are “unhealthy” ingredients, don’t sweat it. Take this account of my Pa-Paw:
He would be 100 years old today if he were alive. He and Ma-maw were Pearl Harbor vets. His ship was out of port for the attack and she was being evacuated with my aunt, who was a baby at the time, through strafing fire. So I’ll include her as a vet since she saw more action in the attack.
Every Sunday, after he had preached his heart out and fed his flock, Ma-maw would kill a chicken and make chicken and dumplins from scratch and feed him. I remember she would also have at least beans, okra, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and fried apple pies to go along with it. She passed away in 1985.
The last time my wife and I visited Pa-paw while he was still living in his house, in about the year 2000+/-, we fixed chicken and dumplins for him. As far as I know, he hadn’t had chicken and dumplins like what Ma-maw made since she passed away. We didn’t have a chicken to slaughter, but we got one out of the cooler from the Piggly Wiggly down the road from his house and set out to make chicken and dumplins from scratch right there in his kitchen. Yes, she used lard, so we did. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen with wide eyes and a face full of anxious anticipation as he watched us use the same kitchen stuff Ma-Maw used all those years. He ate, enjoyed, and it didn’t hurt Pa-paw one bit for one last memorable meal just like old times.
He went into the nursing home not long after that and we were able to visit with him a couple more times before he passed away about five years later, but you can’t make lard-laden dumplins in the nursing home. I can’t imagine anything was all that appetizing in there.