During the weekend of November 23 and 24, approximately 200 volunteer members of Concordia Lutheran Church, Kirkwood, packaged and distributed 1,000 turkey dinners, which included a frozen turkey, stuffing, green beans, gravy, and potatoes—enough to feed five people: 5,000 people in all! Recipients included hundreds of individuals, churches, and organizations, such as Church of All Nations, Christian Friends of New Americans, Caring Ministries in the City, and more.

This was the Fifth Annual Turkey Blessing Event, the purpose of which was to extend Concordia’s ministries of service and witness into all parts of the Kirkwood community and beyond. As congregation President Matt Schelp noted, “The service and witness opportunities that form the key part of this ministry provide many of us with a real sense of fulfillment and affirmation.” Indeed, the approximately 75 dinners distributed to CFNA alone were in turn distributed to New American families from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Nepal, and Bhutan. Some of these are countries heavily populated by Muslims.

The distribution took place on the Concordia campus; as the huge number of vehicles rolled through the distribution lines, each recipient was given the opportunity to make a prayer request. Several were received, so prayers were offered even while turkey dinners were being loaded into the vehicle.

This ministry is expanding, not only in terms of beneficiaries, but also in terms of participants. As Pastor Dave Meggers noted, “This year, we were joined by volunteers from Church of All Nations, CFNA, and Caring Ministries in the City. The fellowship that has become part of this effort is encouraging and even inspiring.”

Thank you, Concordia, for this excellent ministry of service, witness, and fellowship!

By Rev. Al Buckman

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