Connecting members one meal at a time
By Brenda Smotherman*
It has been said that wherever two or more United Methodists gather, someone is bringing a casserole. Food and fellowship are a recipe for building community in our churches all over the world.
United Methodist Communications (UMCom) has been serving up Our United Methodist Table – a collection of treasured recipes gathered from United Methodists – presented on the denomination's website, UMC.org, Pinterest and YouTube.
Starting in October 2023, members will receive a helping of tasty recipes presented on The United Methodist Church’s Facebook and Instagram via a new weekly Tuesday Table social media series showcasing some of Our United Methodist Table (Our UM Table) favorites. Members will find ideas for meals with family and friends or church suppers and events.
“The recipe videos began in 2000 during the COVID-19 pandemic when everyone was at home with time to cook,” reflects Lilla Marigza, who produces these recipe features at United Methodist Communications. “Like everyone else, the UMCom team had to adapt to working from home. Having previously been the one on camera or doing the interviews, my son gave me a crash course in shooting and editing video for my new at home work. I started by making a recipe from an 1898 Methodist cookbook shared with me by the General Commission on Archives and History, who had spoken with us often about the importance of food in the history of local churches.”
The series offers a blend of recipe cards, videos and stories related to the recipes. The dishes are a melting pot of cultures that celebrate the diversity of the people of The United Methodist Church.
Mexican, Filipino, Native American, Hawaiian, Irish, American fare and other regional delights are a sampling of the dishes available to enjoy on Our UM Table. There's also a look back at vintage cookbooks, holiday treats and videos about community gardens and exploring food justice.
“The stories I like best are not necessarily recipes that I try in the kitchen. I'm learning that some of the best-received videos are the stories about why a dish is important to someone,” said Marigza.
"One of the most wonderful things is when the viewer is able to step into the homes of the people sharing the recipes," she adds. "In Hawaii, we cooked three recipes with Dr. Leo Pascua who took us outside to his garden to pick the fresh ingredients. I also loved cooking with Natalia Del Pino, a teenager who showed us how to make polvorones. She shared that these 'Mexican dust cookies' are always served at special family events like her parents' wedding and her quinceanera."
When pulling up a seat to Our UM Table, you’ll:
- Meet a group of North Carolina hunters who are putting meat on the menu for local feeding programs
- Get a recipe for potato puffs from an 1898 Methodist church cookbook.
- Learn to make Capirotada, a Lenten bread pudding from Mexico that symbolizes the Passion of Christ.
Sometimes the journey of researching an old cookbook can lead to creative investigations and fun family stories. For instance, "I met a woman named Jennifer at a vintage church potluck who loaned me an EUB cookbook from North Dakota,” shares Marigza. “The book would have been very labor-intensive to create, as it is bound with two giant spiral clips with the artwork done by hand. This particular cookbook had no date, so we spent a bit of time trying to figure out when it was published. I turned to my sister who is a paper conservator for the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., and Jennifer called her family. We were finally able to get an accurate date from Jennifer's father who remembered as a teenager seeing the cookbooks being assembled by the church office in the 1950s!"
“UMCom hopes the recipes bring back memories of family occasions and church potlucks, and encourages people to preserve their family recipes,” says Marigza. “May the fellowship stories inspire others to start a community garden or learn more about what congregations can do to promote food justice and reduce food waste.”
Reader submissions are always a great source for recipes and interesting stories, such as a member who turns cheese into edible art. As to what to expect in the future, a recently found 1878 cookbook from a Methodist Church South women's group in Alabama is currently being eyed for content.
In closing, Marigza stresses that she hopes the series inspires people to “stop throwing away those old church cookbooks and instead dig them out to try recipes, share stories and post pictures. And don’t forget to pass some along to Our UM Table too!”
*Brenda Smotherman is the Associate Public Relations Director for United Methodist Communications.
For 80+ years, United Methodist Communications has been leading the church in telling inspirational stories of God’s work in the world through The United Methodist Church, reaching new people, supporting local churches in vibrant communications ministry, equipping leaders and delivering messages of hope and healing.
This essential work requires financial support. If you believe in our mission, consider a tax-deductible donation to the work of United Methodist Communications through its Foundation at UMC.org/GiveUMCom.