Dear Bethel Congregation:

The fellowship committee will continue the tradition of holding fellowship lunches in the church basement throughout 2026.  To make these lunches a success, we need your help.  Each adult member of Bethel has been assigned to a work group to help with the arrangements for each lunch.

The groups are formed alphabetically by last name as follows:

Last names A-E: Carmen McKenna’s Work Group

Last names F-R: Michele Martzke’s Work Group

Last names S-Z: Bonnie Meyer’s Work Group

Please make a reasonable effort to send at least 1 adult member of each family to help with set-up, and/or serving, and/or clean-up. 

1. All adult members of the congregation are now included in the work groups and invited to participate. We understand that some folks are physically unable to perform the duties of a lunch volunteer or who are otherwise unable to participate to show up to work.

2. Non-member adults are also invited to volunteer!  If you are a non-member college student, a regular attendee, or even a visitor, you are also more than welcome to help when your name comes up in the rotation.  To volunteer, you can come to the kitchen on the day of the lunch to be assigned a task.

Volunteers are needed before the service, during the Sunday school hour, during the lunch, and after the lunch.  Lunch volunteers are typically asked by their work group leaders to help in the following ways:

·               Check-in dishes brought to the kitchen before the morning worship service

·               Set tables with place settings

·               Wash dishes

·               Load dishwashers

·               Fill water pitchers

·               Carry items, such as full water pitchers, from the kitchen to the seating tables

·               Warm dishes in warming ovens

·               Toss salads

·               Cut desserts

·               Carry dishes/slow cookers to the buffet tables

·               Clean up after the lunches

Lunches typically occur on the second Sunday of most months at 12:10 pm after the Sunday school hour, except in May, when it will be on the third Sunday (due to Mother’s Day). 

Currently scheduled fellowship lunches in 2026 are as follows:

·             January: NO LUNCH

·             February 8: Bonnie Meyer’s Group

·             March 8: Michele Martzke’s Group

·             April: NO LUNCH

·             May 17: Carmen McKenna’s Group

·             June 14: Michele Martzke’s Group

·             July 12: Bonnie Meyer’s Group

·             August TBD: Carmen McKenna’s Group

·             September TBD: Michele Martzke’s Group

·             October TBD: Bonnie Meyer’s Group

·             November TBD: Carmen McKenna’s Group

·             December: NO LUNCH

Everyone who attends the lunches should plan to bring an entrée that serves 12-15 people and either a dessert or salad, per our usual practice.  We also ask that you “check in” each dish as you drop it off at the kitchen before the service. 

Thanks so much for your support for the Bethel fellowship lunches.  As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to Alissa Schneider or Bonnie Meyer, the fellowship committee chairpersons, with any questions you may have.