Area churches celebrate dads, family ties
Jun. 20—NORTH AUGUSTA — Doughnuts, root beer and chicken might represent an odd dietary mix, but they were part of a heartfelt salute Sunday for a couple of local congregations, in observance of Father's Day.
"Any opportunity we have to celebrate the men at our church and what they do for our families and how they support the people around them, we're all for," said Katie Duke, creative director of TrueNorth Church, in North Augusta.
In Duke's case, that amounted to providing some lighthearted entertainment prior to Sunday's worship service, such as challenging a couple of dads to compete for a prize — a $50 Lowe's gift card — by proving their mettle in such tasks as starting a lawn mower and opening a pickle jar.
Following the worship service, dads and the population at large were invited to partake in a massive offering of root beer and chicken drumsticks (teriyaki or hot), donated by a businessman in the congregation, with napkins galore.
Dozens of original-style Krispy Kreme doughnuts were among the morning's welcome surprises a few miles away at First Baptist Church of North Augusta.
"We normally only serve coffee," said Annie Brown, director of the congregation's connections ministry. She noted that Sunday's other bonus items included a photo station, a variety of card and craft options and a lighthearted video with kids sharing some of their favorite things about their dads.
Duke, with TrueNorth, commented, "It's really cool when we do a big event like this, because we do have a lot of people who work together to pull it off."
In Burnettown, a lighthearted touch was also part of the action at Midland Valley Community Church of the Nazarene, as confirmed by the Rev. David Gallimore, the senior pastor. "Right as people pulled in the front doors, we had grills set up, and we had bacon frying, so the men got welcomed to church with bacon. We had some doughnut holes out there and a place for family portraits."
He added, "Our mission at the church is to bring Christ and people together, but we had a sign specially made for today that said, 'Bringing men and bacon together at Midland Valley Community.' For special Father's Day gifts, we had devotional books and a special tribute in the service. All in all, I think they felt valued, and we celebrated not only fathers but men's ministry there."
The holiday dates back to 1910 in Spokane, Washington, as the creation of Sonora Smart Dodd (1882-1978), described in a June 20 (Spokane) Spokesman-Review article as "a local artist, poet and philanthropist who is probably best-known as the Mother of Father's Day."
The article noted, "Dodd's mother died in childbirth while Dodd was 16 in 1898. She helped raise her younger brothers with her father, William Jackson Smart. Dodd held her father in great esteem and believed that fatherhood should be recognized. Thanks to Dodd, the first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane."
