Griggs Cookbook Project
By Amanda Peeler
Griggs has a reputation for many things in the neighborhood of Poe Mill. Griggs is known for its corner presence on Poinsett Highway. It’s also known for our church van that has picked up kids in the neighborhood for the Kids Ministry for generations. But most notably, Griggs is well known in the community for memorable and meaningful times of fellowship around amazing food.
When I was a teenager at Griggs in the early 2000s, some of the highlights of the year were the whole church going to either Olive Garden or Outback for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We could do that because there were only about 10 members at Griggs at the time. It was a time of joy and fellowship. I was the youngest person in the group and would usually receive a lot of encouragement. Arlinda would always bring a delicious cake from Strossner’s and would always give me the biggest piece. The coolest part was that Pastor Yeomans would eat a whole Bloomin’ Onion by himself before the entrees came out.
More recently, some of our weekly routines at Griggs revolve around meals. When Mitch first came to Griggs and started church revitalization, we had coffee and doughnuts in the downstairs fellowship hall, where the nursery is now. It was a time to chat and hang out before the service, and it was always such an encouraging time. Now it’s turned into coffee and doughnuts on the porch, which allows even more people to hang out and fellowship before the service.
One of our new favorite times of fellowship is our Summer Wednesday Night Dinners, where small groups take turns providing meals for the church. It is the absolute best time to come share a meal and connect as a church. I might be biased, but the Marriage small group always has the best meal you could have for dinner: breakfast.
In an effort to tell the story of what God has done and is doing at Griggs through the breaking of bread together, we are compiling recipes and stories into a church cookbook. You may not have heard of a church cookbook. It really is just what it sounds like- a cookbook compiled of recipes from the people of the church.
This new project is the Griggs Cookbook. And we need your help. We would love for you to share a recipe. You could also submit a story you have about having a meal with someone at Griggs. We know so many connections have been made through meals at Griggs, and we would love to hear your story.
