Champion Life Church hosted its ninth annual “City Wide Dinner” Thursday afternoon. It was a free Thanksgiving dinner for the community to come in and enjoy. Everyone was invited but the focus was on those less fortunate and those who maybe don’t have families to spend the holidays with. 

Pastor James Baldwin explained the reason the church opens its doors. He said, “When you say you’re going to love people, that means you have to love everyone and you have to reach out to people that don’t have anybody. Especially this time of year.”

The church does not account for this dinner in their budget. All of the food was donated by companies and individuals in the community. It’s the community’s generosity that allows the dinner to happen every year. Baldwin explained, “That’s all because the community has come together. Like I said, individuals and businesses who have contributed to make it happen every year.” 

Worship Leader Devin Spradling was in charge of the outreach for this dinner. He said the response he received from the community was positive. He explained, “It’s great to see all the communities come together and all of the organizations and individuals to help make this event happen.” 

Spradling added that reaching out to the community is the purpose of the church. He said,”To reach out to those who are less fortunate to reach out to those who don’t have necessarily the financial resources to be able to have a Thanksgiving dinner but also for those who don’t have family to spend Thanksgiving or any holiday with. We want to make sure we reach out to them, make them feel welcome and a part of our family here.”

The church is now taking donations for their Christmas dinner that will take place on December 17th. You can find more information on their website or by calling (814)-942-9400.