Pastor Phil Johnson expects to welcome many people for Christmas dinner at Osoyoos Baptist Church. The dinner is not just for the most needy – it’s for anyone in the community, including those who might otherwise be alone. (Richard McGuire photo)
Thanks to the good people at the Osoyoos Baptist Church, no one will go hungry or be alone on Christmas Day in Osoyoos.
Once again, the Osoyoos Baptist Church has organized its annual Christmas Day Dinner, which has attracted between 120 and 150 people over the past several years.
The church will also hand out more than 100 food hampers through the Osoyoos Food Bank.
The Christmas Dinner has been around for more than 15 years and has become as much a part of this community as hot weather in the summertime, said Pastor Phil Johnson, who has been the pastor at Osoyoos Baptist Church for 12 years.
“I’ve been here for 12 years and the parishioners had started the Christmas dinner three or four years before I came on board,” he said. “All of the credit goes to our people at the church who work together to make sure no one is alone or hungry on Christmas day.”
Unlike other communities, where Christmas dinners are geared towards street people and those suffering from economic hardship, the Osoyoos Christmas dinner is all about community, said Johnson.
“Our Christmas dinner is not just for the poor … it’s for everyone in the community,” he said. “There are those who don’t have a lot and would be alone at Christmas, but we also get families that come out and parents who want to show their children what being part of the community is all about.”
The Christmas dinner at the church had as many as 200 people more than a decade ago, but the numbers have consistently remained in the range of 120 to 150 over the past several years, said Johnson.
“We always plan for 150 … and if we get a little less than a lot of people get to go home with a nice doggie bag of food,” he said. “There are a couple of other groups in town that hold their own Christmas dinner, so that has impacted our numbers a little bit.”
Merle Hein will head up the small team of parishioners from Osoyoos Baptist Church that will order and prepare the food that will be served during the Christmas dinner, said Johnson.
“We usually start talking about and planning for the Christmas dinner in late November,” he said. “It obviously takes a lot of planning to feed this amount of people, but our church members involved in the dinner are very passionate and they always do a great job putting this together.”
On Christmas day, a group of about a dozen volunteers show up to serve dinner and help clean up after dinner is served, said Johnson.
“We have some community members who have been volunteering at the Christmas dinner since we started,” he said. “For many of them, there’s no place they would rather be on Christmas day.”
The Christmas dinner is served between noon and 2 p.m. and the entire event is usually over by 3 p.m. once the dishes are cleaned up, he said.
It’s very heartening to know no one in Osoyoos has to be alone or hungry on Christmas day, said Johnson.
“A lot of people who are going through a tough time for whatever reason often have a very difficult time coping with Christmas and the holiday season,” he said. “It’s just good to know that people don’t have to be alone and that everyone is welcome to join us on Christmas day.
“There’s a great spirit of community at this event and I know a lot of people really look forward to it.”
The parishioners from Osoyoos Baptist Church are directly responsible for not only hosting the Christmas dinner, but also paying for it, said Johnson.
“Our members are very generous,” he said. “Last Sunday after our service, one man came up to me and handed me $200 and told me he wanted all of it to go to the Christmas dinner.”
The support of both local grocery stores – AG Foods and Buy-Low – is amazing every year, said Johnson.
“Both grocery stores are very generous and they always donate the potatoes, veggies and condiments and give us a great deal on the turkeys and hams,” he said. “We couldn’t do this without their generous support.’
While everyone is welcome, organizers would appreciate a call to the church if they plan on attending the Christmas dinner.
“It just gives them a rough idea in terms of numbers,” said Johnson. “We would like it if they called ahead, but, of course, no one will be turned away on Christmas day.’
Meanwhile, the Christmas hamper program offered by the Osoyoos Food Bank – which is operated by the Baptist church – will again be handing out Christmas hampers.
Members of the community that would like a Christmas hamper – which basically has a turkey or ham and all the trimmings for a healthy and nutritious Christmas dinner – are asked to contact the church to register, said Johnson.
The hampers will be handed out at the food bank located inside the Osoyoos Cactus Centre on Dec. 22.
If you need a hamper or plan on attending the Christmas dinner, call Osoyoos Baptist Church at 250-495-6581.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
Pastor Phil Johnston is expecting a large turnout for Christmas dinner at Osoyoos Baptist Church. In past years the event has attracted between 120 and 150 people. (Richard McGuire photo)
