[November 22, 2017]      

On Sunday, November 19th the Open Arms Christian Fellowship Church in Lincoln hosted its annual Thanksgiving feast open and free to the public. The event has become an annual tradition for the church, and an opportunity for the congregation to show its love for everyone in the community, by serving.

This year, members of the church cooked a total of 36 turkeys, plus tons of sides and desserts and brought them into the church for an evening meal.

Before the doors opened at 4 p.m., those who would volunteer their time to serve the guests met in the main hall of the church for a few notes by the event coordinator Mike Robbins about what to expect in the hours ahead.

As Robbins gave out instructions he told the group of volunteers that it was going to be a big day for the church, and he said the day would be “a volcano of God’s love about to erupt.”

Pastor Larry Crawford also spoke, saying this year the church was hoping to serve 1,000 guests. According to the volunteers in the kitchen area, the 2016 dinner served approximately 650 people. Numbers released after the event this year indicate they are well on their way for next year with the total number served 877.

[Nila Smith]