Church community meals are blessings to many people

There's something about getting together with friends and others in the community over food. This fellowship extends to the church community, and there are congregations locally who make a regular habit of serving meals.

A Southeast Missourian story in June included information about The Church at Morley, a non-denomination congregation in the small Southeast Missouri town. The church meets in a building formerly used as a Masonic Lodge. It has a kitchen, and the church feels a responsibility to use its resources to better its neighbors.

"It has this great big dining room downstairs and a commercial kitchen, and we felt kind of guilty for not using it," said Doug Sikes, an elder. "I mean, if the Lord was giving it to us, you use what you have, be good stewards of the assets that God's given you, so we thought, ‘What can we do with that?'"

The Church at Morley serves a monthly dinner free to the community. It started in February on the first Saturday of the month.

There are other churches that host meals for the community, including Christ Episcopal Church and the Salvation Army. For some the primary goal is helping the needy.

We applaud these churches and others who use their resources to better their community, help those in need and provide an opportunity for fellowship through the breaking of bread.