Midwest Church Dinners & Potlucks (Entire Midwest)

When I was a kid my family would visit my grandparents in Wisconsin nearly every weekend. We lived in the Twin Cities, and it was a nice getaway from the big city to visit my grandparents’ farm in the country. There’s something so relaxing about small towns of the Midwest – a little slower pace…

What I love most about small towns in the Midwest are the tight knit communities! My grandparents were a part of a church in town, which was also where my mom went to church when she was a kid. It was a great community of people of those who lived in town and those who lived out in the country. These were some amazing people – they took care of each other! I remember when my grandpa passed away many years ago, and my grandma’s neighbors (most of whom were a part of the church community) brought food to her house. I had never seen this before and asked my mom why they did this, and she said, “that’s what they do here, they help each other out.”

The church had a Ladies’ Auxiliary Club, which my grandma and aunt were a part of. This group of ladies made food for special occasions like church dinners, holiday meals, weddings, funerals, you name it! And let me tell you these ladies were some of the best cooks in the Midwest! I remember getting up extra early on Easter morning for church and then Easter brunch in the basement of the church with egg bakes and hot cross buns! So delicious!

The church also had potlucks where everyone brought a dish to pass – salads, hotdishes (that’s right, no casseroles in the Midwest!), desserts, and baked goods! I remember going to these potlucks in the summer when we sat outside on picnic tables under trees for shade. The potluck wasn’t necessarily at the church, it could have been at a church members’ place or there was an old schoolhouse outside of town where events used to take place. Everything was homemade and probably made with items from the garden! People would grab a plate and sit down next to their neighbor talking about how the crops were doing or how the strawberries were looking in the garden – or possibly the town gossip. Haha! Ah how I miss those days! So much fun!

Do we even have church dinners and potlucks in the Midwest anymore?!

Well recently I attended a Women’s Church Dinner with some friends at a church in the Twin Cities. This brought back so many memories from the church dinners and potlucks I went to as a child. While the dinner I attended wasn’t a potluck or put on by the Ladies’ Auxiliary Club there was definitely a lot of Midwest friendliness and good conversation had with other ladies in the area. Allow me to share a little bit about this special night…

It was a cold and snowy December night when nearly 300 women packed into the beautifully decorated church for some good food, conversation, and to hear a special message. A little snow wasn’t going to stop these ladies from missing out – they’re Midwesterners!

The tables were all uniquely decorated – everything from gnomes to manger scenes to a palm tree! There was a contest on who had the best decorated table, and everyone had the chance to vote. It was a tough decision! In true Midwestern fashion, while going around looking at all the tables, women started up conversations with each other about the table settings or about how lovely the church was set up for the dinner. And if you ran into someone you knew, they were introducing you to other ladies! It was so nice and a wonderful way to meet people!

After mingling and chatting with other ladies it was time to find our table for dinner and meet the ladies at the table. Dinner was beautifully set up with a buffet filled with tender chicken breast in a rosemary butter cream sauce, roasted red potatoes, fresh roasted broccoli with garlic and parmesan cheese, mixed green salad with dried cranberries, candied walnuts and feta cheese, dinner rolls, and dessert. Talk about amazing – absolutely delicious! There were even volunteers of men from the church (including the pastor!) who went around with coffee and desserts. How special! I had to chuckle because while eating there were ice breaker questions at the table to get to know the other ladies, but after we went over one question we found we didn’t even need the questions because we found we had a lot in common. Between talking about the different churches we attend, each other’s children, and the weather (of course! Ha!) we had plenty to talk about! It was so great!

After dinner we all moved to the sanctuary where we sang songs, handed out door prizes, and most importantly listened to a speaker give a message about preparing for the season. It was very special!

So, again I ask, do we have church dinners and potlucks in the Midwest anymore?! I would definitely say yes! While they may look different than when I was kid in Wisconsin (and I believe there are those dinners and potlucks still around!) there are still people in the Midwest getting together to share good food and conversation in the true Midwestern way! And we definitely still need that these days!