By: Kristine Sturkie
Of all the ministries at Hope, there’s one that the congregation can really sink their teeth into–the Wednesday night dinners. The dinners not only provide a hot meal with a variety of good wholesome food, it brings people and families together for conversation and fellowship. On a typical night, 90–100 people enjoy what the dinner offers.
Ted Gray took over the Fellowship Ministry in the fall of 2009, right before the church began its extensive renovation. “I felt it (taking over the Ministry) was the best way that I could contribute to our church,” said Gray. During the renovation, dinners were still held but it wasn’t easy. With no working kitchen, Gray had to be creative when washing, prepping and cooking the food, washing dishes, setting up the meals, cleaning up after the dinner and moving the groceries to a storage location.
The new kitchen and fellowship hall are a blessing. “It has made life easier,” he said. The extra room in the new fellowship hall also allowed Gray to expand the food offerings each week, including the salad bar. “Tuyet Lane was growing the salad bar about the time I started to help her,” said Gray. “I felt that we should continue to grow the salad bar because most of us are more health conscious these days and that it would keep people coming back each week.” The salad bar has proven to be very popular and Gray plans to add more selections as the weather warms up, such as grilled chicken.
For those diners who prefer something besides salad, Gray cooks a variety of items including soups, spaghetti and a Mexican grill night. He determines the weekly menu by what foods are on hand and the time of year. “Sometimes it just feels right to cook certain foods,” said Gray. “In cold weather, I cook more hot soups while in warmer weather I have more salads, fruit and grilled foods.”
Marissa and Simon Nance and their two sons Samuel, 4, and Elijah, 6 months, started coming to the Wednesday night dinners right before the church renovations began. “We started coming to the dinners to expand our connection with the church family,” said Marissa. “On Sunday morning, you have the chance to say hello. Here, you get to see people in a more relaxed atmosphere.”
Carol and Rodger Stein started coming to Wednesday night dinners 13 years ago when their sons were younger. “The dinners are what brought us to the church,” she said. “It gave me one night a week where I didn’t have to cook dinner. Not having to cook dinner once a week as well as the opportunity to socialize with our friends is what keeps us coming back.”
Ted Gray typically grocery shops and prep cooks on Tuesday. He reheats the food, cooks vegetables, makes the beverages and sets up the salad bar on Wednesday afternoons. “On average, it takes about five hours with at least two people and extra help on Wednesday to set everything up.”
Gray began cooking out of necessity when he was stationed in Germany with the Army. “For my first Thanksgiving away from home, there was no one out of my group of friends who knew how to cook a turkey, let alone a whole traditional Thanksgiving dinner,” said Gray. “Being from a family of 9, I always helped out in the kitchen. So, having the most experience in the kitchen, I stepped up and cooked the turkey dinner complete with herb dressing and gravy. It received high praises. From that point on, because of my knack for eating, I knew I needed to continue cooking.”
Wednesday Night Dinners are held from September through June. However, Gray said that if there was a summer group of followers, he might expand the dinners. “I’m kicking around some ideas right now that I’ll be ready to tell the congregation about in the near future.” If you enjoy cooking and would like to be part of the Fellowship team, contact Ted Gray at tedcindygray@cox.net.
