Diners pray before eating during the 2018 Christmas Day dinner at Grace United Methodist Church. This year’s free event will be held Dec. 25, with delivery, carry-out and dine in options.
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Of all of the holiday traditions in Johnson County, this one may be the most nourishing.
Community members from all walks of life will come to Grace United Methodist Church on Christmas Day. They’ll sit in fellowship, sharing a meal as one. Some of them will come with their families, volunteering to serve others while taking part in a unique celebration.
But others will have come because they don’t have family to come together with, or don’t have the resources for a holiday feast.
All are welcome, said Joe Sanford, pastor at Grace United Methodist Church.
“That’s always a blessing for us, to have a chance to gather a lot of people together and share a conversation and share our lives and share a meal,” he said.
Grace will once again host its Christmas Day dinner, a free banquet open to the entire community. People can come to the church for ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and dessert — everything needed to celebrate to holiday together.
While the dinner is an opportunity for the church to share with the community, it continues to address the issue of food insecurity throughout Johnson County and truly gets to the root of the holiday, Sanford said.
“As much as we love the traditional celebrations and traditions of giving gifts and family gatherings, that element of service and love and compassion that goes beyond our comfort zone is Christmas. It embodies what the day is really all about,” he said.
Grace United Methodist Church started the Christmas Day dinner outreach in the wake of the 2008 recession. The discussion started with wanting to offer a free meal — similar to the annual Johnson County Thanksgiving Banquet — that the entire community could enjoy.
When the first dinner was hosted in 2008, church volunteers served 60 people. Recent Christmases have seen more than 800 people fed, including in 2020, when the event was drive-through and delivery only.
In the 15 years since it was founded, the event has become a tradition, not only for the people who come to dine at the church, but for the congregation as well. Families volunteer at the event together, and sit down to eat after their shifts are done.
The church takes great joy in being able to present the dinner to the community, Sanford said.
“It’s become a tradition for a lot of families and groups of friends to come sign up. They do the same job every year, and this is Christmas,” Sanford said. “It’s neat seeing families who had little kids who grew up doing this, and now they’re starting to bring their own kids to it. This is their Christmas Day.”
Delivery meals are available for those who cannot get out, and those orders will be accepted through the end of the day Friday. Carry-out meals can be picked up from 2:30 to 4 p.m., and a dine-in meal is scheduled from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Sanford said.
IF YOU GO
Christmas dinner
What: A free holiday meal provided through delivery, carry-out or dine-in. The event is open to the public.
When: Dec. 25
Where: Grace United Methodist Church, 1300 E. Adams Drive, Franklin
Schedule: 2:30-4 p.m. for carry-out, 5-6:30 p.m. dine in. To request delivery, call (317) 736-7962 by the end of the day Friday; meals will be delivered from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 25.
Information: franklingrace.org