Hope in a rural setting

Hope in a rural setting


When you walk into a beautiful church like Hope Methodist, located on the northeast fringe of Faribault, the first thing you notice is its rural setting, fenced-in day care area and the colorful rainbow-framed altar inside.


Next thing might be Rose Marraccini and her New York accent.


It's her 10th year heading the Salad Luncheon, held Saturday, July 14 this year. The Staten Island born full-blooded Italian found her way to the Midwest first through school in Madison, Wisconsin, and eventually to Minnesota via college friends. "I loved it here, the moment I arrived," she answered when asked about how she strayed from the eastern seaboard. "When my family visits from out east they can't believe the room out here. Out there, you're pretty much right next to your neighbor, here, there could be miles between them."

Luncheon ladies: front row, LaVoy Shaffer,
Nancy DeCoux,Carol Hanson, Rose Marraccini,
Mary Sanborn; backrow, Connie Tuin, Sue Rassbach, Heather Grambart, Bev Witt.

Although Hope's salad luncheon is what they consider a 'mini-social', held for congregation and community members to keep in touch for the summer, its enticing salad selection was excellent. "You need to have these socials, people lose touch of one another quickly. And these luncheons draw the older generation, because they were the ones that started most of them." Most church socials before and just after the turn of the 20th century began as 'picnics' or gathering times. Remember, people didn't travel much and their church was their social time - and the majority were held on Sundays, considered days of rest then.


This house of worship lays on 10 acres of land, next to the former Andrews Nursery and Uhlir's Orchard. When it was time to rebuild, they could have chosen the corner lot a quarter mile away, but invested in the huge piece of land. Now they have ample room for their daycare, garden plots, parking, restful back area and six or so acres of apple trees.

Hope's beginnings
in 1905.

"We like the 'apple' significance of planting seeds, which as Christians we are asked to do," added Rose.

In a couple months, ripe apples will be plucked from the trees for another fundraiser - selling pies and crisps. It was all pies not a decade ago, but nowadays they found more people asking for crisps. All are made with scratch dough. Through generous donations locally, the 30 or so women who make and sell the pies, join up three days before the selling date. Jobs are divvied out, preparation areas mapped out and umpteen hours later the sale begins. The past couple years they sold 120 pies and 60 crisps. "I'm a follower in that fundraiser," Rose quipped.

Most of this money goes directly to capital projects for the church. The rest of their fundraisers have a variety of charitable venues. The church picks a needy local organization each year. This year its Backpacks for Kids, a fund established to provide school supplies for Faribault children who need help. One year they helped out Operation Nice, which boxes and sends various 'extras' to servicemen overseas. Each year some money is allotted to kids camps and foundations.


Yet another fundraiser is their Ham dinner, which this year might add sweet corn to its menu. The corn feed met its demise when harvest time wouldn't allow a set-on date, so combining it with the Ham Dinner in mid-September might be the compromise.


Hope Methodist's congregation totals 120 members. The smiles that greet you upon the luncheon are are real as they get. Once inside, a gorgeous picture (above) window shows off that huge yard and apple orchard. As its vision states, 'Hope' will give people the resources, grounding and faith-centered guidance needed to be faithful stewards - and as the name implies, "we look forward."


Many salads, but a favorite was:


Seafood Salad  (by Rose Marraccini)


1 pound pasta
50-60 medium cooked shrimp
1 pkg. Louis Rich crab chunks
1 pkg. Louis Rich lobster chunks
1 bunch green onions
2-3 large mushroom
8-12 Colby Jack cheese


Prepare pasta per box directions, rinse in cool water, drain.


Combine pasta, shrimp (remove tails), crab, lobster chunks.


Chop onions, mushrooms and cheese into small pieces. Add to pasta mixture.


Mix in mayonnaise or 1/2-3/4 bottle ranch dressing to taste.


Upcoming Events:

Sacred Heart Salad Luncheon, Hayfield: Tuesday, July 17, 11-1

St. Augustine's Church Salad Luncheon, Austin; Thursday, Jul 19, 11:30-1

St. Mary's Episcopal Church Corn and Pig Roast, Basswood Grove (south of Hastings), August 20, 4-8