Dear Editor,

During these times of division in our country and community, no matter if it would be a local campaign or social justice issues it is nice to know and experience the true essence of community.

Every year at this time I get to be humbled beyond words by the great community that we live in. As the Congregational Church family and friends of the Church gathered Friday morning to prepare the 84th annual Harvest Dinner (preparing Turkey, making sweet potatoes, and stuffing) pie after pie and salad after salad came through the door. I started to feel gratitude plus joy and overcome with humility, which is a good thing. People that you have not even asked to bake a pie or bring a salad show up with such caring love for something that is bigger than all of us.

There is such a joy in giving of one’s self to bring joy to others in a community and the sense of being part of something whether it is cooking, setting up, decorating, serving, doing dishes, donating or cleaning up every part brings a sense of belonging.

The organizations that use our church facility for a meeting place step up and work with the church family to provide an atmosphere that is out of this world. I love partnerships in life when people help each other out, there does not have to be monetary exchange to have value just the sense of caring for each other for the betterment of all.

You can put no price tag on caring for the betterment of your fellow community member. Such as people donating cooler space to use to keep the food cold when other cooling facilities break down. When someone gets sick at the last minute someone else steps in. Another brings extra pies when someone else forgets. Denominational and cultural boundaries are broke down and everyone comes together to enjoy the feast and walk away satisfied in more ways than one.

This is what our Creator had planned for us in the beginning when he made the Heavens and the Earth. We are put here to serve one another to the fullest extent, nothing more, nothing less. When this happens you have a night like the 84th annual Harvest Dinner. You will be blessed when you bless others, blessings to all that made this a special event.

Thanks to a Great Community

Pastor Warren Johnson

Harvest Dinner Chairperson