Despite the resignation of the church’s pastor earlier this year, the Bethesda Monday Night Community Dinners — a staple of community service at Mountlake Terrace’s Bethesda Lutheran Church — will continue, church leaders have pledged.
The free Monday night dinner has been offered at the small Mountlake Terrace church for eight years and regularly draws 50-70 diners weekly from both inside and outside the congregation. “About one-third are homeless, one-third are seniors in the church and about one-third are others from the community,” said Joy Halladay, one of the leaders of the weekly outreach ministry.
“It’s amazing how this has grown through the years,” said church council vice-president Sharon Boyd. The attendance at the Monday night dinners will sometime outnumber the number of worshippers the church of about 70 members sees on Sunday mornings.
Former Bethesda Lutheran Church Pastor Malcolm Brown had been a big supporter of the dinners since their inception; some wondered if the small church could continue the program after his departure this spring, but members of the church council have promised the dinners would continue.
“We have the full support of the congregation,” said church council secretary Katherine Dedrick.
The dinners are prepared and served by an all-volunteer staff, some from the church and some from the homeless community that has benefitted from the effort. Almost all of the food is donated to the program, much of it from Central Market in Shoreline.
Although the dinners take place on Monday evenings, making them happen ends up being a three-day effort. Volunteers begin late Sunday afternoons picking up food from businesses, sorting out the donated fruits and vegetables and planning a menu; food preparation begins early Monday mornings. Then clean-up begins Monday night and continues Tuesday mornings.
Church leaders are considering expanding their ministry work for the homelessness by bringing in NEST Mission for the Homeless to run out of a church building that formerly housed the Mountlake Terrace Senior Center. NEST Mission’s administration office would be located in the building at 5605-235th Street SW along with some classes and services offered to the homeless.
Bethesda Monday Night Community Dinners
Mondays, 5:30 p.m.
Besthesda Lutheran Church
23406 56th Avenue West
Mountlake Terrace
– By Doug Petrowski
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