Seconds are

 OK . . .

Somewhere in the depths of my brain was the idea that you just go through the church social line once, so make sure you pile up on the foods as much as you can. And, of course, the plates are always too small . . .

But at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Wells, they encourage you to take seconds - so I apologize to the hefty guy that went up for seconds before hostesses went around and suggested another trip. He was about to get a dirty look, and besides, who doesn't get enough on the first wave?

WELCA volunteers: back row: Gwen Peterson, Darlene Quade, Sue Seedorf, Marlene Kauffmann; front row: Diane Luedtke, Arlene Breitkrutz, Carol Jacobson.

If there awards given out from Church Cuisine of Minnesota, Good Shepherd may have received two Wednesday, July 23, at their Annual Salad Luncheon. They would top the list on friendliest people, as just about every worker came up and wondered who the stranger was that arrived 15 minutes early with a camera and notepad. And a new description was crowned best of show, when "creative stacking" was introduced as way to make room for more food. 

Gwen Peterson busy peddling lemonade.

"I wasn't supposed to chair today, but that's OK, I've done it enough that it runs itself," chuckled Diane Luedtke. The Wells church served over 110 people, filling to the brim in the 50-year-old church basement about halfway through the 1 1/2 hour meal. "We've done this for over 25 years," she added. "It's a good money-maker for us (WELCA members volunteer and coordinate the well-run machine.)"

Another bonus was the garlic toast to top off the salad selection tables, a first at any social for my taste buds. "We used to make them ourselves, and people still think we should, but it's just easier to get them from the grocery bakery." About 50 women donate salads, time and duties to pull off the yearly event. Altogether there were 45 salads, 11 large platters of bars, plenty of coffee and plenty of lemonade - as Gwen Peterson can attest.

"I'm not sure I'm peddling the lemonade very good," Gwen mentioned in her many trips to customer tables. "I'm not getting many people to pour for." It wasn't because of lack of effort or the flavor as my full glass lasted just 10 seconds as it was gulped down midway through the meal - just enough to catch my breath for the second half!

Earlier this year, in April, the church group was ready to have another luncheon. But as we all remember, mid-April brought over 1 1/2 feet of snow to some places in southern Minnesota. "We got together and prepared the Friday night before, thinking we could still have it," said Diane. "Well, I woke up around 6 a.m. and looked out the window and couldn't see two feet in front of me." The event was called off, but two hardy, dedicated souls who didn't get the news braved the weather and brought their salads to the church. "We finally got a hold of them and felt bad they made the trip when no one was there!"


This July feast had little extra food, but what was left was put in containers and taken down to the local senior-assisted facility to share with people there. Appreciative appetites didn't take long to dispose of those tasty dishes!

Diane runs a pretty tight ship, as the person in charge should with church eating events. "It was a hard sell for a few people," she explained. "Some of them don't like that I make them wear aprons at the funeral meals and wash their hands a lot. It took awhile for them to understand you can't bring your hankie, blow your nose and slip it under your watch to use later. I guess you can call me the taskmaster, but that's my job to make sure the meals are healthy ones."


Usually the money goes to Lutheran charities or missions, unless the church has a specific need to address. In the past roof and floor work needed some extra funds and the women's group gladly helped out. Two years ago they held their last meatball dinner to concentrate on salad luncheons, which are a little easier to manage. And a church-wide garage sale would be a welcome return, although that can take some time to pull off as well.

Good Shepherd has 1,100 members in the town of 2,443. At one time the luncheon was held in May, hoping to bring in more teachers, but when that didn't work out, they went for a July date. "I think it's so hot in July that people don't feel like cooking and can have a good meal in air-conditioning," added Diane. "We have a pretty good turnout in July."

The church opened in January 1963, brought together by two town Lutheran churches - one of German descent and one of Norwegian. Over the years 15 pastors have headed the church, with Pastor Kay Fullarton leading the congregation today. As any church, fellowship and sharing meals prompted an update in the kitchen in 1998 and a handicapped elevator in 2000. A library addition a year later. Change can be difficult, but Good Shepherd has taken its diverse congregation and created a sound, God-served church.

As people became more brave to sit at the 'stranger's table', my conversation veered towards my place of residence, Faribault. Happens to be two women at my table have daughters that live there, and I knew both of them. That's why every church social is so unique and special: people who love their church and community working toward a common goal, with hungry visitors from all around willing to get their fill on homemade cooking.

My social wanderings may be random, but never dull or boring. Never had a bad meal, bad conversation nor a bad drive - all because the likes of people at Good Shepherd and each church that undertakes volunteer meals such as these.

Small-town America still reigns in my world! Thanks for a wonderful experience Good Shepherd!

Diane's Hawaiian Chicken Salad

5 cups of cooked, cubed chicken
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1 1/4 cups seedless green grapes, cut in 1/2
1 1/4 seedless red grapes, cut in 1/2
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup salted cashews
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup green onions chopped

Mix together in bowl. Combine dressing: 3/4 cup mayo, 3/4 cup yogurt, 2/3 tsp. salt. Pour over salad, stir and enjoy!

Four-bean Salad

1 can green beans
1 can yellow wax beans
1 can light kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 small, diced red onion
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup chopped celery
Drain beans and mix altogether.

Dressing - 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper. Mix together and add to salad. Refrigerate overnight.

Eggs-citing Waldorf meal

When a hungry person plans on going to a church social, their eyes are primed on the prized 'food of the day'. Thus, attending an ice cream social in the tiny town of Waldorf, one would suspect the cold delight would top off the tastebuds.

First Lutheran Church in Waldorf held it's annual community event June 30, but for me it wasn't the ice cream and ginormous selection of homemade pies that made me salivate, but the egg salad sandwich. So far, in all the church socials my mouth has experienced, no one has served such a sandwich.
On such a beautiful day, which we thankfully accept with open arms after the dreadful spring, church volunteers conjured up 12 different pies, potato salad, chips, coffee/juice, sloppy joes, fruit, baked beans, angel food cake and of course, ice cream.

Although the barbeque sloppy joes were good - I snagged a bite of my husband's - eating the egg salad sandwich brought back a lot of childhood memories of making them with my mom and making them for our 4-H ice cream socials. You just don't see egg salad sandwiches on menus anywhere anymore. There's not much to making them, but it must be the thoughts of yesteryear that made me grab one, that, and the fact that going against the norm is not alien in my life! 

Pastor Michael Mathews greets visitors

Two other things were special on the day: Pastor Michael Mathews meeting and greeting the guests as well as handing them a beautifully flowered tray and a smile to boot, somethings he's done for several years; and just the freshness of summer fruit in pies. The raspberry pie was superb and was too hard to pass up. It was hard to pass up the strawberries, but I had plenty of them waiting for me at home from my garden - the raspberries are a few weeks away!



So I didn't pass up the raspberry pie. Mmmm!

The social used to be held in the church basement but the lack of air conditioning and handicapped accessibility prompted a move to the community center on main street. The air conditioning was a nice rush to the open doors to the front of the building and the back of the building shared many proud community moments captured through school photos, local veteran awards and antiques collected and displayed with the the local ties in three huge display cases. Crocks, calendars, bank books, thermometers, and much more proudly showed the heritage of the town's businesses since the town was founded in 1908.

The Plum Valley Creamery opened first in 1898 near Waldorf, but it wasn't until businesses like Waldorf Hardware, Geo. Habeck Electric, The Corner Cafe, Waldorf Produce, Waldorf Gamble Store, Mark's Standard, that made the town open up for settlers. It still has a few businesses, but with Mankato  and Albert Lea nearby, it continues to be difficult to keep local businesses open.


It didn't take long to feed 100 people and when I left, it looked like they were going to break the 170 number or so they expected. In fact, later I found out 250 people lined up to eat, easily breaking previous high numbers!

Stan and Margie Sternyske of Good Thunder have made the trip to the ice cream social for many years and try out new desserts every year. That's a good idea - if you can remember the year before! Stan lamented about the little towns as well and as a construction business owner, he knows it's tough to keep the doors open. He and Margie make several area socials and enjoy each of them with their unique foods and community pride.

Thelma Schweer served drinks to thirsty patrons

Patty Flemming saved the day and researched the ice cream social, which began back in the 1940s. Delores Rosenau, Marilyn Gerdts, Margaret Ewert, Marie Tesch, Darlene Tesch, Thelma Schweer, Jeanette Bluhm and Grace Miller have bragging rights on working the most socials. Three ladies co-chaired the event this year and that changes each year. Volunteers sign up for the pies and cake and for eggs and potatoes for the potato salad and egg salad. Work groups are established to make the salads on Saturday morning at the church. Sunday morning they meet at the community center to make the sloppy joes and cut up the fruit. Food line and dishwashers have two splits each - it works flawlessly!


First Lutheran has just 207 members but about 50-75 volunteers generally do preparations for the social - which is great participation from a congregation. Proceeds earned go towards church improvement projects or a charity picked ahead of time.

In the past, it's rare, but pie has run out, "but no one goes away hungry," added Patty. "Leftovers are sold at the end of the evening. The menu hasn't changed much over the years except that fruit was added in recent years." 

Delores Rosenau is the oldest member and still is involved. Darlene Tesch shared a memory of a past ice cream social when it was held on the west side of the church. The dinner included use of the church glass plates and in a regular assembly line fashion, dirty dishes went through the window to be washed and brought back outside. The dish towels were hung on the clothesline to dry and reused when they were dry.

Lisa Traynor, Diane Bluhm, Jan Bluhm, Brenda Gerdts had the early
kitchen shift at the ice cream social.

The community center and it's huge area has allowed for more people to hang around and visit - which is what church socials are for. No need to hurry this day, as there was plenty of food, conversation, friends and full tummies that satisfied all that came.

Small town America does not disappoint if you give it a chance. Thanks for Waldorf's First Lutheran for a grand meal and experience!

Bonnie Truebenbach's Scrumptious Raspberry Pie

3/4 cup sugar
2 TBSP corn starch
3/4 cup water

Cook to thick and add a package of raspberry Jello. Stir and then add raspberries. Pour into a precooked pie shell and refrigerate until it is set.

More Summer Eat Events!

Thursday, July 11 - Rapidan Calvary Lutheran Church ice cream social, 6-8

Sunday, July 14 - Dale Lutheran Church, rural Kenyon, ice cream social, 5-7
     -St. John's UCC ice cream social, rural Faribault, 4-7

Wednesday, July 17 - Truman St. Paul's Lutheran Church Salad Luncheon, 11-1

Thursday, July 18 - St. Charles St. Matthew's Lutheran Church ice cream social, 5-8
     -St. Augustine's Church, Austin, Salad Luncheon, 11:30-1

Sunday, July 21 - St. Paul's Lutheran Church salad luncheon, Green Isle, 10:30-1

Sunday, July 28 - Wabasha United Church of Christ Summer Sensation Salad Luncheon, 11-1