Wednesday Night Meals at Community Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Camdenton, Missouri are SO MUCH FUN! Nearly every Wednesday evening at 5:00 pm, we gather for serving, food, and fellowship. Prior to COVID, Wednesday nights included a dine-in 5:00 pm meal with no RSVP. Youth Groups and choirs would also meet around this meal time. In 2023, there are some similarities to the past, but also some adjustments.
Every Wednesday, we now offer home delivery, pick-up in the parking lot, or dine-in. This is possible due to an enormous number of people working together. It all starts with the generosity of the cooking teams. Each team has their Wednesday of the month to design and prepare the menu. Some of these cooking teams are as small as a married couple, or as large as five individuals working together. In addition to these cooking teams, there are multiple individuals that just show up between 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm to finish preparing the food, wash dishes, and organize the to-go orders. Conversation, support, hard work, and love abound in the kitchen. In concert with this process, three individuals work together “behind the scenes” throughout the week to organize the RSVPs for home delivery, pick-up, and dine-in. There are currently two delivery teams, of two people each, that deliver food throughout the community at 4:45 pm. Also at 4:45 pm, our pick-up individuals pull into our parking lot, and food is handed to them through their car windows. For the delivery and pick-up individuals, food is presented in reusable containers and carried in reusable cloth bags. A printed meal prayer is included in the cloth bag as well. These containers and cloth bags are usually exchanged each week.
At 5:00 pm in the fellowship hall, a blessing is offered and the cooks serve anyone who walks in our door. It is always a surprise who will come, and who we serve. There is no charge for the meal. CCC is proud to have a servant’s heart, and to build discipleship through this weekly meal process.
By 5:30 pm every Wednesday, the three youth groups head in different directions in the building, and many people pitch in to support one another, to clean up tables, and to wash dishes. CCC is grateful to our custodian Jenny who mops and cleans after the mission and ministry of Wednesday nights.
Wednesday Night Meals are SO MUCH FUN, but it takes a community-minded attitude and a lot of work every single week. If you have any more questions, please contact Senior Pastor William R. Brown.
Thank you to Rev. William Brown for this story and photos.