Emmanuel Christian Center
Reaching outSalina church offers weekly free meal and program to public
By APRIL MIDDLETON
Lisa Bailey Salina, helps her daughter Julieonna, 2, with her dinner Saturday during Saturday Night Alive at Emmanuel Christian Center. The church offers free meals and a program to the public every Saturday evening.
Harley Farrar always knows there’s something for him to do Saturday night.
Four blocks from his home, a slew of volunteers are working to prepare a meal for him and anyone else who shows up.
“It’s a real delicious dinner each time I come,” Farrar said.
Farrar doesn’t remember how he heard about the Saturday Night Alive program at Emmanuel Christian Center, 1325 E. Cloud, but he’s been attending for at least a month.
Usually, his wife comes with him, and the two have dinner together and stay for a service afterward.
This Saturday, though, Farrar ate his meal, got a to-go box for his wife and left.
“She just had surgery and she wasn’t feeling up for it,” Farrar said. “I’m going to take her some food. We’re real glad they do this.”
The church started offering Saturday Night Alive about 18 months ago. It is just beginning to publicly push the program, though.
“We are wanting to find a way to get to more people,” said Bryan Hurlbut, administrator of Saturday Night Alive and a member of the church congregation.
The church has put up billboards and signs throughout the community and will continue to add some, Hurlbut said.
“There is no gimmick involved. It’s a free meal, just help yourself. We don’t expect them to stay and clean the church,” Hurlbut said. “They don’t even have to stay for the service. We just want them to get a good meal and enjoy the fellowship.”
Dinner is served each Saturday at 6 p.m. The service is at 7 p.m.
Church volunteers start preparing a hot meal late in the afternoon. By about 5 p.m., busses start making the rounds to bring people to the church who don’t have transportation.
Hurlbut said there are about 16 stops on the bus route right now, including private residences, the Salina rescue Mission and the Domestic Violence Association of Central Kansas.
Generally, 100 to 120 people attend dinner each week. Hurlbut said they could easily handle 350, though. Any food that isn’t used is boxed and sent home with people or stored at the church just in case someone finds themselves unable to get a meal later during the week.
A staff of about 40 volunteers is on hand each Saturday to cook, set up, clean and run the busses.
“We feel like we know how to do this now, and we have all the kinks worked out,” Hurlbut said. “I know there are people who could use this.”
The idea for the weekly program grew out of a staff meeting at the church.
Hurlbut said they were trying to think of a way to be more available for the community.
He said there are many people who can’t afford to prepare themselves or their children a nutritious, warm meal every night. Others could use a break from cooking and cleaning.
And some of the elderly population rarely get out of their homes.
A free meal serves all of those people.
“We are not a rich congregation by any means, but we have a wealth of good people who are willing to help out,” Hurlbut said. “What we find is that are some people who don’t have a lot of connections in the community. This gives them a chance to make some relationships and get of their homes.”
Linda Henningsen, who is in charge of the food for Saturday Night Alive, said there are several menus they use.
This particular Saturday night, dinner was turkey sandwiches, baked means, salad and lots of different desserts to choice from. Fried chicken is on the menu next week.
“I really try to make sure it’s a good balanced meal. Not junk,” Henningsen said. “For some people, this might be the only good meal they get.”
Lisa Bailey said she loves that meals are nutritious.
She attends each Saturday night with her four young girls. Before they discovered the program, they didn’t attend church, she said.
“We like it here,” Bailey said.
Each Saturday, they have dinner and stay for the service. Bailey said she has now started working in the church’s nursery on Sunday.
“It’s been good for us,” she said. “The food is always good and the pastor (Loren Houltberg) is really good.”
Reporter April Middleton can be reached at 822-1409 or by e-mail at sjamiddleton@saljournal.com.
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Copyright2005 Salina Journal
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