Bakersville Community Church offers residents breakfast and fellowship
Members of the Faithful Followers group at Bakersville Community Church and volunteers serve breakfast to community residents the third Thursday of each month October through March.
BAKERSVILLE – For the past five or six years, the Faithful Followers group at Bakersville Community Church has been offering breakfast the third Thursday during the autumn and winter months to farmers and other residents in the Bakersville area.
“It’s been a really good thing for the church,” said Cheryl Specht, who organizes the breakfast. “It’s a good place for farmers and others to come together.”
Each month, October through March, members of the Faithful Followers and a couple of volunteers get together at about 5 a.m. at the church to start preparing for the influx of people waiting at the door at 7 a.m. The group usually serves about 75 to 85 people on any given month. The kitchen is buzzing with people flipping pancakes (plain or blueberry), scrambling eggs, and dipping up sausage and gravy over biscuits. Other menu items include sausage or ham, sweet rolls, French toast, fruit slushies or plain fruit, and hash browns. Assorted drinks are also available.
“We’ve got a team here who really helps,” said Joy Hothem, head cook. “Everybody has their own job. Vicky Burgan is the pancake lady. She always does the pancakes. I don’t know how she gets them so fluffy.”
The breakfast also boasts of serving award-winning rolls.
“Right by the door, we have a table of Joy’s rolls,” said Specht. “We joke around and say we serve award-winning rolls here because one year at the Coshocton County Fair, Joy submitted her rolls and got first place. We even used to have a sign that said ‘Award-Winning Rolls’.”
Bakersville Garage donates to the breakfast as well. They buy a pig from the Coshocton County Fair every year, which is then cut up and donated to the breakfast for ham and sausage.
Cost is by donation only and the money goes to outreach organizations such as Operation Christmas Child, Bible School, and many other organizations.
“One thing we always do is we donate to the church because we’re using their electricity and their space, so I think it’s only fair,” said Specht.
Anyone is invited to attend and they’ve had people as far away as Canton come down for breakfast, which was Joy Hothem’s aunt, Beulah Hothem.
“It’s a good outreach for this little community,” said Specht. “For a small community, it’s a time for fellowship and a way to stay connected with people in our neighborhood. We just had new people come in today who just moved here.”
The Faithful Followers try to make the breakfast seem homey, warm, and inviting. When people walk in, it looks like one big family gathering. They serve food from 7 – 11 a.m.
“We often have people ask us how long we serve,” said Joy. “We stop serving after the Dave Mizer family comes in. They are local farmers and friends of ours and they always come in after they get the milking done. We don’t stop serving until after they’ve been served.”
The next breakfast will be Thursday, Feb. 15 at Bakersville Community Church, 28164 County Road 97.
Category: Faith
