Getting to Know You: The Big Red Foodies Group

A column dedicated to the folks in the pews.

Written by Dale Buchanan

There is something about eating together. Your “From the Pews” reporter is basically a meat and potatoes man. When my buddy Gayle suggested we check out the Foodies Group, I was reluctant. After vigorous negotiation she sold me with, “Maybe you will find an interview for The Grape Leaf.”  

Friday evening, September 28th, I found myself gathered with the “Foodies,” as they shall henceforth be identified. We had assembled at 6 p.m. in a restaurant called Fasika. Gayle, much more knowledgeable and sophisticated than I, had warned me that we were going to dine in an Ethoipian restaurant.

There were about twenty of us gathered in the dining room and the atmosphere was immediately festive. Tables were shoved together and I began to relax. Conversation was spirited and laughter went around the table spreading a sense of congenial camaraderie.

No one was in a hurry. The pace was slow. Our water was turned into wine. Eventually menus appeared and we were ready to order. I found no prime rib or T-bone, and finally allowed Gayle to order for me. It was delicious. I ate with my fingers as is the Ethiopian custom.

Twenty diverse people meeting around a common table. Most of them I recognized from Sunday morning at Big Red. What I realized as we ate and drank and conversed was that sure enough I recognized them but most of them I did not know.

It dawned on me that this was not a moment to solicit interviews for The Grape Leaf. It was an opportunity for me to engage in that old church word fellowship. In this pleasant room we had let our hair down and were enjoying each other’s company. There was no structure to our gathering. I sat next to a young man I had not met before and found that we enjoyed much in common.

Fellowship gives birth to friendship and builds social networks. This is what your reporter witnessed. I watched amazed as the “Foodies” without structure or rules, without a budget or committee just got together and enjoyed each other’s company. This is fellowship in the purest sense of the word.

They call themselves The Big Red Church Foodies Group. I recommend that the next time they step out of the pews and announce a gathering—you join them. You will not regret it.

Dale Buchanan is a member of FCCF with a passion for stories and writing. In between penning his own memoirs, he is helping us get to know our members, one pew at a time.

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