In a gesture of goodwill two local churches provided a Thanksgiving meal to the entire community.  Wagner United Methodist Church in Wagner, South Dakota hosted the Fellowship Feast for the eighth year.  Kenmare Regional United Methodist Church, a new church start in Kenmare, North Dakota served a Thanksgiving meal to over 225 at the local school.

Photo: Community members from Wagner enjoy a Fellowship Feast at Wagner UMC the Thursday before Thanksgiving.  Photo courtesy of Wagner UMC.

Wagner UMC serves 200

"For I was hungry and you gave me food . . ." Matthew 25:35

Wagner United Methodist Church hosted the monthly Fellowship Feast the Thursday before Thanksgiving Day. The Ministerial Alliance from Wagner and the surrounding areas provided a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

200 people from the community were served. Wagner UMC has been hosting this event for 8 years.

Kenmare Regional UMC touches the entire community

A traditional Thanksgiving dinner was served  to over 225 at the Kenmare High School, Nov. 23, from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and cranberries were on the menu.

Photo: Child from throughout the Kenmare, ND community enjoy activiites as part of the Thanksgiving dinner provided by Kenmare Regional UMC.  Photo courtesy of Kenmare Regional UMC.

Additionaly there were activities for children, 8 x 10 family portraits taken at no cost and the event  had live music. The music "Generously Encouraged", from Minot provided the music.

The 25 volunteers that prepared and served the meal began work at 8:30 am. Numerous non-church partners assisted with funding and estimated $3,200. Several businesses provided discounts on food and donated paper products.

The meal was appreciated by the entire community.  Comments like--"This kind of event is a long time coming, " were frequent. Several families and individuals gave generous cash donations of nearly $1,000.

Kenmore Regional is a new church start on the edge of the Bakken Oil Region in North Dakota.  Why did the new, small church take on such a big effort? “We did a lot of brainstorming and from a pastor’s perspective, the church, in general, needs to be more active,” said Joddy Meidinger, pastor at Kenmore Regional. “So, what does this community need? We could be a broker to help pull people together.”

The effort paid off.  Several people asked when and where the church was meeting for worship.  The church meets each week at a local pub.  "People like how approachable we are," said Meddinger. 

Members of the church were inspired by the event.  A young mom who has only just started attending Kemare Regional church with her husband and 1 yr. old daughter said to Meddinger after the dinner, "I think I got a couple young moms to come to church next Sunday. Would you mind if I offered nursery care?"

Community members were grateful and asked if the church was going to make the Thanksgiving meal an annual event.  "We plan to do it again next year, as well as other similar events throughout the year. There is no reason why the church in general cannot be a catalyst, partnering with non-church entities to get these kinds of events done. This time it's a dinner, next time maybe it's cleaning up after a storm," said Meddinger.