Members of Hope UMC in Joliet shred chicken in preparation for the chicken noodle dinner

This year marks the 107th event of a tradition that was started by Sharon UMC in Plainfield.  Since 1914, the congregants of Sharon have joined together to make and serve their Chicken Noodle Dinner, on the Friday prior to Ash Wednesday.  In the long and rich tradition of the German Evangelical Church, the congregants are farmers and cooks.  In the early years, the farmers killed and cleaned the chickens which had been raised on the local farms. They were cooked, deboned, and prepared to be added to the homemade noodles made by the women. 

This whole church event had been carried down through the generations and families and continued to be a vital ministry, changed up in recent years, by some modern techniques.  Even when it became difficult in the last few years to pull it together, the congregation rallied to keep the tradition alive.  Then like so many, Sharon UMC was negatively affected by the pandemic.  This, coupled with an aging congregation, meant that the tradition was one of the things that we knew we would be losing. We thought 2020 was our last dinner.

In late fall of 2021, talk began about closing our venerable church.  And the most wonderful thing happened, a chance to make a merger.  We began the process of merging with Hope UMC in Joliet. Due to the connectional heritage of the United Methodist Church, we quickly understood that we were all part of God’s church, worshiping in different locations.  We identified our “why”, (why are we a church, why is God calling us to do this, why closing a building could be a step forward in our ministry, why are we better equipped to share the good news of Jesus Christ once merged), realizing that we were stronger together as ministers of transformation in God’s kingdom. The predominant “why” was the opportunity to continue to be a church in mission, a body of faithful souls who could join forces with other like-minded Christian stewards who together could be a force for good in our communities.  This merger was a lifeline, giving us the opportunity to use our gifts and passions to love and serve our neighbors.

The sadness of closing something you’ve known, perhaps all your life, is jarring; there is no denying that.  Yet when you approach the change with Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors, always focusing on the “why,” what you once thought you had lost is brought back to life tenfold with new friends.

Linda Keene, Diane Midlock, and Marcia Gray take a break from chicken shredding for a celebratory selfie.

The Friday before Ash Wednesday, 2/17, with complete commitment from our combined congregations, we hosted an Old Tradition in a New Location.  It was a blessing to keep the connection to our past dinners looking forward to our merged futures. And for this small church, big on mission, we are delighted that the proceeds of the sale will go back into the community to support those who may need a hand up.

If you or your congregation is interested in learning more about Vital Parntnerships as a way to help your church thrive, reach out to Rev. Martin Lee, Director of Congregational Development & Redevelopment, at 312.346.9766 ext. 708 or mlee@umcnic.org.

We enjoy sharing church outreach ministry stories that are making a difference and transforming lives. We hope sharing these success stories will inspire and become learning tools for other churches. If you have a story to share, email communications@umcnic.org.