A Church Community

When one thinks of the south, many different images come to mind—a slower pace of life, an enjoyment of simple things and good food. Having grown up and lived in the south all of my 60 years, I can attest to these great southern traits plus many more. One little known fact about the south is how strong church communities are.

This fact was recently showcased in Wetumpka, AL when The Church Ladies of Trinity Episcopal Church decided to publish a cookbook to raise money for renovations to the church sanctuary. Armed with a “can-do” attitude, pride for their church, and beloved, time-tested recipes this small Episcopal Church in a community of less than 10,000 have sold 5,300 copies of Shall We Gather, Recipes and Remembrances of a River Town.

This book is not your typical “church” cookbook of mimeographed pages and spiral binding. Shall we Gather is a 192-page, hardcover book with a beautiful interior design and offers a collection of traditional southern favorite recipes written for 21st century cooks. It contains remembrances of life, lore and legend along the Coosa River and features a foreword by the author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt.

This is one of those cookbooks that, as you read it, you feel the love from the contributors. With dishes such as She Crab Soup, Garlic Cheese Biscuits, Shrimp and Grits and Country Ham Sour Crème Biscuits, you know it is southern food at its best. You know the desserts are to die for because what southern meal is complete without a delicious dessert?

While this book raised a nice and tidy sum of money, it also touched lives in ways one would never think of—read Phyllis Kennedy’s story of their cookbook from Trinity Episcopal members’ perspectives:

The idea of a cookbook was conceived to keep us focused on building a new worship space when we were between rectors. The idea soon took on a life of its own and became a significant source of funding for the new church.

We now have a spectacular new church with beautiful furnishings, a refurbished pipe organ and stunning stained glass windows. We have cleared over $53,000 on our Shall We Gather cookbook and we’re still making sales!

As marvelous as those accomplishments are, they are the least of what Shall We Gather has meant to Trinity Episcopal Church, our community and especially to members of our committee.

The first and greatest gift may have been Virginia Waddle Lott who visited at Trinity about the time we started working on our cookbook. She was quickly recruited to work with the committee and became the “most valuable player” by inputting all our recipes into FRP software. Virginia died at UAB hospital in 2008 while awaiting a heart and lung transplant. She is lovingly remembered with a beautiful rose window over our altar.

Another loyal member of the committee was Carol Holland who lost her sight as an adult but retained all her spunk. Carol didn’t miss many meetings for fear she wouldn’t be on hand to defend her recipes and assure their inclusion in the book. One of Carol’s recipes included in the dessert section bears the caption “so easy a blind person can make it.

Carol died unexpectedly a few months after the cookbook was published. She is remembered in our new church building with a Trinity window on the front of the church.

Our finest accomplishment may be the two couples that came to be active members of our congregation by way of the cookbook. When we did our first “Gathering at the River Cookbook Fair and Tasting” they were impressed enough to come and visit. We take great pride in the Davis’ and the Sibley’s.

Other “side effects” have been the outstanding public relations that we’ve enjoyed as a result of our book. We have had numerous articles and pictures in our hometown paper, as well as articles in papers and magazines throughout Alabama, and several spots on local television. We’ve found that opportunities to sell Shall We Gather are also opportunities to talk about the unique beauty and history of our church and Wetumpka.

There were many times when a groan would go up when yet another cookbook meeting was announced, but our small band of volunteers became a wonderful and dedicated team. Now that we are on the downhill side of the project, Shall We Gather is a powerful bond and great source of pride for The Church Ladies of Trinity Episcopal Church!