Fast food restaurants have them, as do banks and pharmacies. So why not churches? That’s what two congregations in Central Virginia — Fork Union Baptist Church and Pioneer Baptist Church in Henrico — thought when they each developed drive-thru breakfasts as outreach ministries.
At Fork Union Baptist Church’s “Come As You Are” drive-thru, people can pull up to the church annex door beginning at 7 a.m. on the last Sunday of each month and leave with a hot breakfast of homemade waffles, sausage and fruit. They can also come inside to eat their meal.
Fork Union Baptist Church has served more than 293 meals since staring drive-thru breakfasts last October.
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“Making it a drive-thru helps people understand this isn’t just a ploy to get them in the door,” said Kat Campbell, whose idea launched the ministry in the small town between Richmond and Charlottesville.
“The congregation made the decision to serve the free breakfast at the end of the month, because that is when money can be tight for some people,” she added. But she emphasizes that CAYA is not just for the needy; it is for everyone.
Since last October 293 hot meals have been served.
“About 9 a.m. we start boxing breakfasts to deliver to people who we know would appreciate a hot meal,” said Campbell. “Some of these people may not be able to get to the church or find it difficult to get there so early.”
Much of the ministry is funded through donations, she said. Hamilton Beach, a leading distributor of kitchen appliances, donated waffle makers and other supplies. A local restaurant owner who is a member of Fork Union church donates carry-out boxes and paper products. Church members ask what is needed and leave food items in the refrigerator.
Church volunteers have been eager to lend a hand, said Campbell. Several youth spend time outdoors waving signs and encouraging passersby to stop. A crew prepares and cooks the food and church members talk with people in cars as they drive up and with those who chose to eat inside.
Col. Robert L. “Red” Pullium, legendary football coach at nearby Fork Union Military Academy, is chief waffle maker, said Campbell. “His waffles are the best with all of the squares filled and no batter bubbling out the sides.”
“I haven’t tried my hand at making the waffles, but I’m the chief taste-tester,” said Fork Union’s pastor Warren Johnson. “I work the assembly line and talk with folks as they dine with us.”
“I view CAYA and other projects like this as fulfilling the Great Commandment to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves,” he said. “In this case, that’s providing a warm meal, free of charge and no strings attached. If people are drawn to God or to our church because of CAYA, that’s an added blessing. But serving others is an end in itself.”
Fork Union church will be hosting an Easter sunrise service March 31 followed by breakfast.
“I am so proud of our congregation for how supportive they’ve been of the CAYA mission,” said Johnson. “People from age 15 to 85 have caught the vision and pitched in to help.” And he is equally proud of Campbell, who was so sure that the vision for the meal was from God that she was going to do it, even if no one else joined with her. “That’s genuine faith and obedience,” he said.
Commuters find coffee, a muffin and a friendly smile at Pioneer Baptist Church's drive-thru on Mondays.
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Meanwhile, more than 1,500 cars and trucks pass Pioneer Baptist Church, just outside Richmond, on Monday mornings. And some of them make a quick stop in the church parking lot for a free cup of coffee and a homemade muffin.
While the number varies each week, Paul Beith, pastor of Pioneer Baptist, estimates more than 200 different commuters have driven up to the white tent in the parking lot from 6:30 to 9 a.m. for “Coffee Mondays” since September 2011.
“Some people look forward to it,” he said.
Volunteers offer gourmet coffee, along with hot tea and cocoa, and a variety of sweeteners and flavored creamers. On Sunday afternoons a church member bakes several batches of muffins to be given away the next day. Typically Beith and three to five members are on hand each Monday. Special lighting equipment is used as volunteers arrive before the sun rises to brew the coffee.
“These days people don’t want you knocking on their door,” said Beith. “Coffee Mondays allows people to come to us and we can offer them a smile and a little encouragement and send them on their way to work.
“Folks begin to understand that we care when we stand in the cold and rain to give them a hot cup of coffee,” said Beith. While he admits the ministry has not increased attendance on Sundays, he said people who have made with contact with the congregation on Coffee Mondays have been spotted at special events and revival services.
“And sometime down the road, if some of these people have a need for marriage counseling or just want to talk with a minister, they’ve got me and five or six people at Pioneer Baptist Church that they’ve seen on Mondays that they’ll remember,” he said.
Barbara Francis ([email protected]) is on the staff of the Religious Herald.