Published: November 11, 2009 11:44 pm      

Tradition continues at FBC

MARLOW — Whether it’s making a new friend, dining on good food or getting an opportunity to help out, everyone should have something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Marlow’s First Baptist Church will have its annual Thanksgiving dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 26 in the church’s LIFE Center.

Pam and Jim Spurlock, along with other members of the church, have headed up the Thanksgiving dinner.

Pam Spurlock said this will be the fifth year for the First Baptist Church to do the dinner. Previously, it was done by a smaller church and was a project for an older couple. The couple found they were no longer able to serve the dinner, and the Spurlocks asked if FBC could have it.

“We saw it in the paper, where they were going to stop,” Pam said. “We felt like God wanted us to do it. It all just fell in place.”

Each year, church member cook about 1,000 meals. From there, 300 to 400 people get take out meals, many of which are delivered. Between 300 to 400 people dine in the LIFE Center. The surplus food is taken to the Stephens County Jail.

There’s usually between 60 to 100 volunteers cooking food, serving meals and making deliveries.

Jim said some of the volunteers start cooking at 2 a.m. Thanksgiving. It’s done so early to allow for plenty of time to cook multiple turkeys.

Pam said it’s important for people to have some interaction on the holiday, and the dinner acts as a reach out for the church.

“We just enjoy helping people,” she said. “The shut ins is one of the big things. This will be the only contact some of them will have all day.”

When the Spurlocks decided to take on the Thanksgiving dinner five years ago, it was just days before the holiday. There might have been some rushing to get food in the first time out.

Since then, the volunteers have been able to take time to plan the event. And with experience, the event has become easier to put on.

“Now, we kind of have it down,” Spurlock said.

Still, many of the event traditions extended from the first year. Sure there was always turkey and various other foods associated with the holiday, but having church members bring side dishes and desserts, and adding the Stephens County Jail to the list of deliveries were something unique to the church’s Thanksgiving.

Pam said the idea of taking food to the jail came at the end of the church’s first year for the Thanksgiving dinner. She said there was food left over, and some of the volunteers worked at the jail. They made the suggestion of dropping off the food.

She said the food provided for the dinner is all based on donations. People can donate to the church.

“It’s fun to do,” Spurlock said. “We enjoy it.”