Blaine Schroer (left), Oakly Schroer and Remi Schroer care of their dollies at the St. Stephen's soup Lunchon, Sunday. The outside temperature was around five degrees, which made it a perfect day for a warm bowl of soup. Because of the cold weather, all the girls were bundling up their dollies with warm blankets.
Members of the St. Stephen's Altar Society are (from left) Amber Menke, Jaycee Schroer, Cindy Buescher, Shannon Ostdiek, Karen Ostdiek, Susan Janda, Jan Menke, Peg Faimon, Michele Buschkoetter, Kelly Schroer, Lisa Kathman, Lorrie Kohmetscher, Mary Kathman and Kaci Empting. More than 285 people attended the Altar Society's soup luncheon on Sunday, evening though the temperature outside was in the single digits.
Father Denton Morris talks with parishoners at the St. Stephen's soup luncheon, Sunday. The Altar Society organized the fundraising event which was held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Approximately 180 people attended. Chili, chicken noodle and a vegetable soup was served along with varous dessert items. A room full of home cooked food items were for sale as part of the event.º
The St. Stephen's soup luncheon on Sunday was a fundraising event for the altar society. Gerald Buschkoetter served as a greeter. The luncheon served more than 180 people. It was a cold day.
With the weekend's drop in temperatures, it was a perfect time for St. Stephen's Parish to have the annual soup luncheon. As the temperatures dropped to around 5 degrees outside, people enjoyed chili, chicken noodle and vegetable soups from 11 a.m. and concluding around 2 p.m. As the soups warmed and comforted people, the event began to come alive with conversations and laughter. Children bustled about as people enjoyed the scrumptious lunch. There was also a table filled with homemade desserts. It was hard to choose one for they all looked simply divine and tasted that way as well. Stories were told as friends and families gathered.
A room located just off of the entrance hall, was filled with homemade items. Cookies, cakes, brownies, candies, breads and many other items were on sale. People began to compare the goodies they had just bought. Pleasantries and compliments were heard amongst one another over the items.
Members of the St. Stephen's Altar Society planned and organized this charitable event. Before entering, people left contributions at the door. It is estimated they served more than 180 people that day. The soups were all homemade and the table of desserts were made by the members as well. Several altar society members made other dessert's that filled the room off of the entrance hall, all of these baked items were priced for sale. The money made that day went directly to the St. Stephen's Altar Society.
An altar society or altar guild is a group of laypersons in a parish church who maintain the ceremonial objects used in worship. They also help with fundraising and organizing charitable events. Traditionally altar societies were made up of women, but today they may include both men and women. They beautify the church and altar with floral arrangements, clean and maintain the church property, organize events within the church, help families organize funerals and supply meals for them, donate funds to several non-profit organizations in the community, organize fund-raiser events for different organizations in the community, supply items and maintain the baby-cry room for families, order missalettes and prayer books, supply Bibles and music books, raising money to purchase vestments, supply candles and other items for the sanctuary, send cards and visit the homebound and elderly individuals of the parish, organize CCD classes and teach children the gospel of Jesus are just a few things that an altar society does for a church and for the community.
The altar society members of St. Stephen's church who organized the soup luncheon were: Amber Menke, Jaycie Schroer, Cindy Buescher, Shannon Ostdiek, Karen Ostdiek, Susan Janda, Jan Menke, Peg Faimon, Michele Buschkoetter, Kelly Schroer, Lisa Kathman, Lorrie Kohmetscher, Mary Kathman and Kaci Empting.
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