The Singles Forum Hosts a Church Potluck! (Everyone From Every Area of the Forum is Welcome!)

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seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
May 23, 2009
15,325
4,732
113
#45
Hmm. Now that I think about that specific church, a lot of bad things happened there. When I was a little kid and during one of my parents break ups, my dad had an affair with the pastors wife. Turns out she slept with a lot of the congregation. Next pastor as far as I can recall is the doom and gloom preacher of everyone going to hell and he also embezzled a lot of the money so the building went without repairs and the bills didn't get payed. Next pastor struggled to pay the bills and was also a doom and gloom guy that charged for the potluck even though most people that went there were struggling financially. There was a guest speaker that was praying over people and "slaying them in the spirit". I was maybe 13 or 14 at the time and was depressed and contemplating suicide but decided to pray hoping for some change. The dude comes over to me and tries to push me down with his hand on my head. Naturally that instantly brought me out of my prayer and made me mad but I was also kind of laughing in my mind because the dude was maybe 5'4-6 and I was 6'4. So he was struggling to touch my head. That went on for a good few minutes before I looked him in the eyes and he went away. I think the only thing positive from the church was I met my best friend there.

I'm so sorry you went through this, Cold, and I give you kudos for not walking away from Christianity forever.

I sure would have wanted to if I had experienced this in church. Thank you for sharing your stories with us. You are definitely not the only one who's had negative experiences with others who call themselves Christians. Most of us here have been through traumas instilled on us by churches and/or "church people."

I'm really glad you're here and hanging out with us and I hope we can be of some comfort to you. :)
 

Karlon

Well-known member
Mar 8, 2023
2,042
868
113
#46
i'll answer the 1st ?: "bad memories". yes, bad. why? the worst food i ever ate was at church pot luck dinners! & too many times. the food was always cooked by old timers & yes, you guessed it, OVERCOOKED!
 
Jun 13, 2024
17
19
3
19
Gloucester
#47
Hey Everyone!

Here in the Singles Forum, We:



:D

Growing up in a very Lutheran surrounding, church potlucks were a regular staple of my childhood.

Now of course, the rule of any potluck is that you need to bring a dish or dessert to pass!! And so:

* What kinds of memories -- good or bad -- do the following pictures bring up of your own experiences with potlucks? (Or does your church/country have a different tradition other than potlucks?)

* If you didn't grow up in church, what kinds of fellowship activities does your church hold/do you wish they would have?

* What would you bring to our Forum Potluck -- a casserole, crockpot concoction, or dastardly dessert? It can be homemade, store-bought (hey, everyone is busy these days and not everyone likes/knows how to cook.) Are there any special dishes you are known for?

* What regular rotation of dishes did you look forward to most at your own church's potlucks? (Sister Martha's famous apple pie, Brother Bartholomew's "secret recipe" bbq sandwiches, Pastor Peter's Corny Casserole, etc.)

* And if you don't happen to be cuisine-i-a-cally gifted (I feel your pain!) what other things would you contribute? Plastic cutlery, cups and plates, napkins, POP (NOT soda -- Northern Respect!) juice, squirt guns. Er... I mean... I seem to remember some of my summer church potlucks involving squirt guns and water balloons... :LOL:

*What kinds of games and entertainment would you most enjoy? (Why does a dunk tank suddenly come to mind...) :ROFL: My church actually did have a dunk tank one year -- and I just remember people lining up in droves when the pastor took his turn as the victim, lol.

Let the fun -- and the dunking -- begin!!!

Everybody -- spouses, families, neighbors and all -- are welcome to the Singles Forum Church Potluck!

Tell us what YOU would enjoy most, and what you would bring to share. :D


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Dunk tanks are so cool
 

seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
May 23, 2009
15,325
4,732
113
#48
Yeah, I get in and chase them out of the bayou before I make a stew out of them.
I demand a TikTok of this -- or it didn't really happen!!! :devilish:

I also recall that you've said your first language is French...

Seriously now... A pretty blonde lady wrestling alligators out of their lairs while shouting in French?!!

How does this NOT have "Social Media Sensation!!!" written all over it??!!!

I know for me it would be an INSTANT "Like," "Comment," and "Subscribe!"
 

seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
May 23, 2009
15,325
4,732
113
#49
i'll answer the 1st ?: "bad memories". yes, bad. why? the worst food i ever ate was at church pot luck dinners! & too many times. the food was always cooked by old timers & yes, you guessed it, OVERCOOKED!
May Karlon's poor tastes buds rest in peace. :cry:
 

Susanna

Well-known member
Apr 14, 2023
962
315
63
48
Galveston and Houston
#50
I demand a TikTok of this -- or it didn't really happen!!! :devilish:

I also recall that you've said your first language is French...

Seriously now... A pretty blonde lady wrestling alligators out of their lairs while shouting in French?!!

How does this NOT have "Social Media Sensation!!!" written all over it??!!!

I know for me it would be an INSTANT "Like," "Comment," and "Subscribe!"
Awww, now I wish that I wasn’t just joking!
 

MsMediator

Well-known member
Mar 8, 2022
1,003
640
113
#51
In the past I brought store-bought items such as soda, fruit, plastic utensils/plates, dips. For some work events, I have brought yogurt fruit salad, rice pudding, and smokies (small sausages). The sausages were popular, but a lot of people skipped/did not even bother to taste the fruit salad or rice pudding. In the future, I would consider bringing loaded mashed potatoes.
 

seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
May 23, 2009
15,325
4,732
113
#52
In the past I brought store-bought items such as soda, fruit, plastic utensils/plates, dips. For some work events, I have brought yogurt fruit salad, rice pudding, and smokies (small sausages). The sausages were popular, but a lot of people skipped/did not even bother to taste the fruit salad or rice pudding. In the future, I would consider bringing loaded mashed potatoes.
I'm the opposite.

I'm not big on sausage, but I would definitely dig into the rice pudding, and gingerly nibble at the fruit (depending on what kinds -- grapes and strawberries would quickly be claimed, but I would leave the watermelon for the masses.)

And I'd be sure to be one of the first in line if I happened to spot those loaded mashed potatoes! :love:
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
25,449
8,411
113
#53
Memories of potlucks past: I have a bunch of them. Our church likes meeting and eating.

Our senior (allegedly retired, though I think we forgot to tell him he's retired) pastor always had a knack with chicken and dressing. He'd bring in the tub of cornbread he made the night before, start shredding and sauteeing onion and celery and putting chicken in a pressure cooker. When he was done he'd have big tubs of the best chicken and dressing you ever tasted. Our church started cooking Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for the local Walmart and a nearby town's city hall, on the strength of his chicken and dressing reputation.

The only way to survive a church potluck is to get a two-bite portion of everything that looks interesting. That way you won't drive home wondering what that one dish might have tasted like, and you also won't explode from overeating.


What I would bring to a church potluck:

First option would be chocolate chip cookies. I know a really good recipe that uses oat flour (oatmeal in a blender.) It gives cookies a wonderful texture.

Second option would be deviled eggs. Even if one or two other people made deviled eggs, always room for more at a church dinner.

Third option would be homemade pimento cheese sandwiches. NEVER buy that premade junk at the store when you could easily mash up some cheese, pimento and mayo.

Fourth option would be chili. I ignore all the stuff people say is necessary or forbidden for a pot of chili... Like tomato sauce. Some people say you should never put tomato sauce in chili. But the same people say they love my chili. I just don't tell them I put tomato sauce in it.
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
25,449
8,411
113
#54
On the other hand, sometimes you can be a lot more simple.

I found a good deal on large bags of skittles, so one night I set out a crystal bowl full of skittles, with a spoon stuck in it. The contrast of a crystal bowl, with a silver spoon, holding common skittles, appealed to me.

It was a big hit. Not the kind of thing you do every dinner, but that one time people loved it.
 
Mar 13, 2014
41,505
16,398
113
69
Tennessee
#55
On the other hand, sometimes you can be a lot more simple.

I found a good deal on large bags of skittles, so one night I set out a crystal bowl full of skittles, with a spoon stuck in it. The contrast of a crystal bowl, with a silver spoon, holding common skittles, appealed to me.

It was a big hit. Not the kind of thing you do every dinner, but that one time people loved it.
What's your take on M & M's?
 
Jun 13, 2024
17
19
3
19
Gloucester
#56
Memories of potlucks past: I have a bunch of them. Our church likes meeting and eating.

Our senior (allegedly retired, though I think we forgot to tell him he's retired) pastor always had a knack with chicken and dressing. He'd bring in the tub of cornbread he made the night before, start shredding and sauteeing onion and celery and putting chicken in a pressure cooker. When he was done he'd have big tubs of the best chicken and dressing you ever tasted. Our church started cooking Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for the local Walmart and a nearby town's city hall, on the strength of his chicken and dressing reputation.

The only way to survive a church potluck is to get a two-bite portion of everything that looks interesting. That way you won't drive home wondering what that one dish might have tasted like, and you also won't explode from overeating.


What I would bring to a church potluck:

First option would be chocolate chip cookies. I know a really good recipe that uses oat flour (oatmeal in a blender.) It gives cookies a wonderful texture.

Second option would be deviled eggs. Even if one or two other people made deviled eggs, always room for more at a church dinner.

Third option would be homemade pimento cheese sandwiches. NEVER buy that premade junk at the store when you could easily mash up some cheese, pimento and mayo.

Fourth option would be chili. I ignore all the stuff people say is necessary or forbidden for a pot of chili... Like tomato sauce. Some people say you should never put tomato sauce in chili. But the same people say they love my chili. I just don't tell them I put tomato sauce in it.
Ours likes meeting, eating and DRINKING lol. Especially at Church BBQ's or members house BBQ's.
 

Cold

Active member
Apr 18, 2024
528
192
43
#60
I'm so sorry you went through this, Cold, and I give you kudos for not walking away from Christianity forever.

I sure would have wanted to if I had experienced this in church. Thank you for sharing your stories with us. You are definitely not the only one who's had negative experiences with others who call themselves Christians. Most of us here have been through traumas instilled on us by churches and/or "church people."

I'm really glad you're here and hanging out with us and I hope we can be of some comfort to you. :)
Well, no worries. Those things never really bothered me personally. That's actually quite tame compared to my home life growing up lol.
The pastors after that were an interesting bunch as well lol. The next pastor mostly preached about how humble he was and how Jesus was black so we better not be racist or we'll go to hell. He lasted maybe 3 or 4 years before he got in a car crash and became paralyzed form the neck down and then died a few months after that. His son, who is gay btw, married the sister of my cousins friend and made many advances on said friend even though the friend was 14 at the time. The one after that was actually a decent guy and used his own personal savings to pay off the debt for the church and helped a lot of the congregation financially. After him I didn't go there for many years but the next pastor I saw there turned out to be married to a distant cousin of mine. That was a bit awkward pretending I knew who she was married to. I just nodded along as her and my mother talked about how we were related. I think that church should be made into a tv series. That's just the pastors being weird, imagine the people that went there. :LOL: