The “all-you-can-eat” meal is served 4-7 at the Methodist Church Fellowship Hall in Chester
BY JIM BEERS
CHESTER – It’s that time of year again. The weather has gotten cooler. The time has changed. People are hungry for a heavier meal. That can only mean one thing! It’s time for the annual Chester Methodist Men’s Ham and Bean and Vegetable Soup Dinner.
The ham and bean dinner always draws a big crowd to 871 State Street in Chester, to the First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall where great food and fellowship is available. This event has been a crowd favorite in the community of Chester for decades!
This year the Methodist Men are once again being assisted by the Methodist Women. The ladies of the church are great cooks and the women have volunteered to step up and help us out again this year.
The menu for this year’s dinner will be the same as in the past and includes the traditional ham and beans, homemade vegetable soup, cole slaw, fresh baked corn bread, delicious homemade pies, cakes and other baked treats, iced tea, lemonade, cherry drink, hot fresh brewed coffee and ice cold water. Don’t forget, for those who do not like ham and beans, there will also be homemade vegetable soup!
The cost for this all-you-can-eat meal is only $12.00 for adults. Children ages 5-12 can eat for only $7.00 each. Children under the age of five can eat FREE of charge. Tickets are available from any United Methodist Men member, or customers can simply pay at the door.
Dining enthusiasts who prefer to take their food home can get carry-outs at no extra costs. Carry-outs can be “called in” using the church phone at (618) 826-2549 or by letting the cashier at the door know that a carry-out is preferred. Workers will prepare the necessary containers. There is no extra cost for carry-outs.
The Methodist Men use profits from this annual fundraiser to help to support several mission projects on a regular basis including the Wesley Foundation on the campus of Southern Illinois University. This ministry offers religious support and guidance throughout the year to college students who are away from their normal churches while at college.
The men also just recently assisted the United Methodist Women with their annual Christmas Shoebox Ministry at which time they send shoeboxes filled with Christmas gifts for children overseas. The men have once again volunteered to cover the cost of shipping the gift boxes this year at the cost of $430.00.
In the past, The United Methodist Men were regular sponsors and supporter of the annual Cancer Relay for Life Campaign. They supported the fight to find a cure for cancer for many years.
The men have also made donations to support the Chaddock Children’s Foundation in Quincy, Illinois. The UMM also adopt a Chaddock child at Chaddock for Christmas and will provide $250 worth of gifts for this youth. Another mission is the Society of St. Andrew. This agency to helps feed hungry people all over America.
In addition, the UMM regularly support various other missions. Recently the men made a donation to the FUMC Chester “Rice Meal Project” which helped to send meal packets to people all over the world. Summer Camp scholarships are also funded by the UMM.
They also support the General Commission on United Methodist Men which reaches other church groups via webinars to help stop domestic violence. The Methodist Men will use proceeds from the ham and bean dinner to further support college scholarships for local students and to help support various projects right here in the community of Chester and at the First United Methodist Church in Chester. In the past year, Jason Sibley and Jessica Stumpe were recipients of the UMM Scholarships.
Finally, the men helped to fund many physical plant improvements at the First United Methodist Church in Chester totaling more than $6,500.00. Such improvements include installing new lights in the Fellowship Hall, purchasing a new water fountain in the education building, replacing the exhaust fans in the education wing, and re-wiring other areas of the building.
The annual United Men’s Ham and Bean Dinner has become a tradition among many patrons in the community, and there are continued hopes that it will remain a staple event among those who appreciate a great meal at a low price, topped with good Christian fellowship at no extra cost.
For more information regarding the dinner or for purchasing tickets, please call United Methodist Men President, Dr. Jim Beers at (618) 615-2721.