Column: WCS fundraiser a popular, productive event

• Worthington Christian School

Worthington Christian School

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WORTHINGTON — The annual Fall Soup and Pie Supper at Worthington Christian School took place Oct. 20. With a cool, 46-degree day and clear skies for the evening, more than 400 people enjoyed a warm meal in the school gymnasium. The reason for the event is fundraising, but the effects are greater than monetary benefits.

In small towns all over Minnesota, we appreciate visiting with friends and neighbors while also enjoying great food. Thursday night was no exception, with a choice of four soups and pies and deserts too numerous to count. I saw people who make the supper an annual occurrence, community acquaintances, new families to the school and quite a few farmers who finally took a break from long work hours. It’s a joy to see such a large gathering of people and everyone enjoying each other’s company.

A common saying around Worthington Christian School is “many hands make light work,” which in the case of the soup supper is no exception. And to successfully serve so many people, we have a dedicated committee that makes some of the food and gives out work assignments to assure all goes according to plan. One of the unique aspects of this event is that in homes around the area, soups are being prepared and supporters are making homemade deserts and pies. It actually requires much more than parents.

Members of the Christian Reformed Church donate many of the great pies and desserts, and I know there was more than one parent or parent-in-law who helped make the requested soup or desert. To spread the work evenly throughout the school’s supporters, each family is also given a work duty such as serving or cleaning. So, throughout the night, parents and teachers take the assignment of cutting the desserts, serving juice, milk and coffee, refilling the soup servers, making sandwiches, washing trays and tables, and conquering the mountain of pots and pans that come with such an event.

The students of WCS also take ownership in this event. I saw them kindly clearing tables and asking to take empty trays; even their preschool siblings wanted to be involved to help. The work sounds like a lot, but my assignment of washing dishes was not even painful because of our group participation by all of the moms.

This event provides an opportunity for anyone interested to see the school building and enjoy a good bowl of soup, but most importantly it brings together many people who are involved and dedicated to the opportunity for Christian education. Being involved in Christian education requires extra time and participation of parents to keep the school running, but it is a positive value we strive to instill in our children and hope has a positive impact for our community.

Thank you to everyone who came to the supper last week. I hope you felt welcome and enjoyed the food. After the work is finished, we as parents reflect positively on the night and are thankful for the money raised for the school. Throughout the school year there are more large fundraisers, such as a Donation Auction, a Hostess Supper with entertainment and our newly established sweet corn sales. You can watch for dates of those events on billboards throughout town, or call Worthington Christian School at 376-4861 for more information.

An upcoming Worthington Christian School event is WCS tip night, scheduled for Tuesday at Pizza Ranch.

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