Amen!! Pacific Garden Mission is another ministry that helps homeless. However they are only in Chicago.
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Do you give FREE Food on Potlucks?
- Thread starter evangelist6589
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Amen!! Pacific Garden Mission is another ministry that helps homeless. However they are only in Chicago.
One large seeker-freindly SBC church that I visited in 2010 charged because it was a large church and they said they needed the money to put on the fellowship meals after church.
Whatever the term but I am referring to church meals after church or on wednesdays. There are 1000000000,00000000 churches out there so not all operate the same.
Well I have visited many, many, many churches in my days. I have run into a few. Not many, but a few. One of them was a FourSquare Church and there was a meal after the service and no one could show their face in that room without paying a fee.
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Ok. So what's your point? You don't know why they charge. It sounds like you're just out to criticize churches that charge a fee just like your OP's that are nothing more than criticizing pastors.
Whats the logic behind a fee? Perhaps with some churches they are too big to give everyone free food and a valid reason for a fee. Or perhaps some prefer to charge to support their multimedia worship centers. Can you think of other reasons why a church would charge a fee?
I don't know. I would have to ask the particular church you've attended.
But here is one reason you listed in your OP:
* Charge a small fee (as someone said, $3 per person or whatever) to cover the cost of the food so that they can minister to people. Bring them in for a cheap dinner (where else can you eat dinner for $3 per person/$10 per family?) and present them with the gospel. Many churches don't have the budget to do this sort of thing for free.
* Fundraise for a missions project.
* Fundraise for a family in need (our community did this for a family who's house burned down).
* To make a million dollars to buy expensive sound equipment by selling a plate of spaghetti, a bowl of salad, some garlic bread and sweet tea for $3. Because we all know that these things are HUGE money makers.
That's it! :laugh:
SaggyWoman
Active Member
I have never seen a for charge pot luck, although I have seen for donations.
According to dictionary.com, a pot luck dinner is:
1. a meal that happens to be available without special preparation or purchase.
2. Also called pot′luck sup′per. a meal, esp. for a large group, to which participants bring food to be shared.
So by definition, a pot luck is not charged for. It is when people bring food to be shared.
1. a meal that happens to be available without special preparation or purchase.
2. Also called pot′luck sup′per. a meal, esp. for a large group, to which participants bring food to be shared.
So by definition, a pot luck is not charged for. It is when people bring food to be shared.
I agree with the logic here except the last statement which I think is pragmatism. But I thank you for explaining this to me and in this thread, I knew there had to be a valued reason. But like anything there are also bad reasons why churches charge.
Then my mistake in my wording. However a meal after the service I thought to be a potluck and in a way they are. One church I visited (Calvary Chapel?) people brought food, however those whom wanted to eat and were visitors (as I was) was no allowed in without paying the money.
Not every church is perfect and I can't judge that church because I do not know the circumstances of said dinner. But I know that when we have a pot luck, we each bring a food to the table and enjoy each other's company. We do not do fundraising dinners but instead have provided dinner oftentimes for particular events for free. But I do not fault a church seeking to do some fundraising for a particular project and providing a nice meal for a very minimal cost. I can safely say I'd pay $10 to bring my family of 6 out for dinner so that I don't have to cook and so that I could possibly help a person go to another country to bring the gospel to the people. Heaven knows those trips are expensive and sometimes it's awkward to ask for money outright for yourself.
Indeed correct. Thats another way to think logically about all this. My emotions want to be upset at churches that charge visitors a fee to eat after service, but thinking about it they have a reason, and if a bad one, not everyone is perfect.
Good grief of all the things to be offended over. So what if a church charges for a meal? My church has charged for some meals but if someone could not pay they were not expected to. We have raised money for mission trips, for people with cancer, and simply to cover the costs of a Wednesday night meal. Have never had a complaint except from a lady claiming that we were money changing. I told he that she would just have to be offended and get over it or move to another church. And Evangelist, I would tell you the same thing. We don't have time to deal with such pettiness.
We never charge. Period. We had a meal today. Church paid for meat (20# of pulled pork - yum) and everyone brought what they could.
A couple who has been gone the past couple Sundays did not know (and obviously had nothing to contribute). They made excuses about not staying but we wouldn't hear of it.
And would you believe they brought 4 dozen homemade raspberry muffins to share during service (our church goes from 10am to 12:40pm and it is a long haul; the hotel provides coffee/tea in the conference room we rent but they were GOOD muffins). They did it just for the love of each other, then felt awkward about not having a dish to share at the meal at 1:30.
They stayed and we all had a great time. Free. I mean, we are FAMILY. Do you charge your relatives to come to your house for a picnic?
(Hmmm. Maybe a should . . ):smilewinkgrin:
A couple who has been gone the past couple Sundays did not know (and obviously had nothing to contribute). They made excuses about not staying but we wouldn't hear of it.
And would you believe they brought 4 dozen homemade raspberry muffins to share during service (our church goes from 10am to 12:40pm and it is a long haul; the hotel provides coffee/tea in the conference room we rent but they were GOOD muffins). They did it just for the love of each other, then felt awkward about not having a dish to share at the meal at 1:30.
They stayed and we all had a great time. Free. I mean, we are FAMILY. Do you charge your relatives to come to your house for a picnic?
(Hmmm. Maybe a should . . ):smilewinkgrin: