The Community Thanksgiving Dinner in Pittsburg, Kansas began in 1984 with this simple question, "What can we do to help?" Laura Mc Cormack thought there might be people in the community who would want to share a meal with others on Thanksgiving Day, rather than be alone. Laura went to her Bible study group and talked about the idea. Carol Jemison agreed with Laura and volunteered to help her put the dinner together. In 1984 they fed 150 people in the basement of St. John Lutheran church. Laura moved away from Pittsburg and Carol Jemison continued the work with help from Beth Bradrick, Phyllis Morey, and Carolyn Lamborn.

This Thanksgiving tradition has evolved and now has a committee that organizes it. The dinner involves the entire community of Pittsburg. The committee invites the local churches, the University, the high school, and local organizations to donate and participate in the dinner. The meal grew large enough that it had to be moved from the basement of St. John Lutheran to the Presbyterian Church, and has recently moved back to St. John Lutheran's new Activity Center. The members of St. John Lutheran are mingled throughout the process of planning, donating whatever is needed for the event, and volunteering before, during, and after the dinner. The Community Thanksgiving Dinner serves those who are able to attend in person, as well as those who need the meals delivered to them.

Carolyn Lamborn, one of the organizers for the dinner, reflected about her experiences helping with the dinner: “The needy are the first to arrive on Thanksgiving Day, sometimes you can see the hunger in their eyes and the wait for the welcoming and prayer is often hard for the children. I take solace knowing that when they leave their tummies will be filled to the brim and we often send them off with food trays for their evening meal… I feel blessed to get to be a part of this mission, just knowing that everything we do here is so appreciated.”

In 2007, over 650 meals were served. The number of people served has grown each year. Beth Bradrick who is on the committee that organizes the event, was quoted in the The Morning Sun, the local newspaper, on Friday November 23, 2007 stating, "Some events and groups have a life span but this is something that will go on for a very long time."

This is a service to and with the community that one church within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is blessed to be a part of.

Christine Schindler
St. John Lutheran Church
Pittsburg, KS
September 15, 2008

"And all ate and were filled." Luke 9:17 (NRSV)