Give us this day our daily bread.

Some scholars interpret that portion of the Lord's Prayer figuratively. But Zion Lutheran Church, Leola also takes it literally.

The church's community meal leaders, Patty Williams and Marie Antolick, translate it as a call to action.

"Food is important," said Williams, the director of the community meal. "You need it to keep you going. You need food to live. We have people who come here with health issues. We take pride in knowing we've been able to help them with food for 24 hours."

Zion Lutheran Church, which is located at 18 Quarry Road, Leola, serves a hot, fulfilling meal at 6 p.m. on the third Friday of every month in its fellowship hall.

"We're trying to feed people," said Williams. "It's a free community meal open to anyone. When we say community, we mean the community at large. It's not just Leola. It's not just New Holland."

Not only are Zion's community meals nutritious, they're also delicious. As the event's cook, Antolick takes pride in her entrees, like macaroni and cheese; Alfredo stew; pulled pork cornbread casserole; pigs in a blanket; and fish, during Lent.

The entrees are paired with sides like salads, green beans, applesauce, stewed tomatoes, potato chips, fruit and baked beans. And nothing completes a meal like ice cream.

"We try to match the meals with the church calendar (like offering fish during Lent)," said Williams. "We're trying to make it nutritious. There are certain guidelines we have to watch. We have to feed a lot of people, and we know what people like because we've been doing this for a long time. These servings are generous. We don't want to have a lot of waste."

"The kitchen is my happy place," said Antolick. "I see people being satisfied. If we have extra, we say it's for people to take home."

Typically, the church's community meal program feeds about 130 individuals. Eighty of those meals are delivered by volunteers associated with the church, while the other 50 are served in the fellowship hall.

"We never know what we're going to get," said Williams. "People come from all over. We have all age groups. It's anybody who wants to come. Most of the crowd is seniors, but we do have younger families come. It's nice for the fellowship. It's supposed to be a nice, enjoyable time with good food."

"There are other meals in the area," added Williams. "A lot of people who come here know each other from other places."

Split into two teams, the community meal involves 10 volunteers. The church's congregation donates money and sometimes food to the cause, and the community meal team works within a budget.

"We do it because we're called to do it. It's a ministry for us," said Williams, a resident of Lititz. "For me, the best part is seeing people come together. Everyone is enjoying really good food because Marie is a really good cook. Everyone comes up to thank her."

"(Patty and I are) both seniors as well," said Antolick, a resident of Lampeter. "We put our bodies through a lot because people need a hot meal."

Not only is it a perfect fit, but the community meal also embraces the church's mission. By using the gifts it's been given to help others, the church glorifies God.

"We gather to grow, and we live to serve," said Williams. "We're extremely active in the community. We're involved. We have events dedicated to the community. Zion has always been dedicated to serving the community in every way. I think the community meal program exemplifies that."

Zion Lutheran Church, Leola, a member of the Lower Susquehanna Synod and one of 8,400 congregations governed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has been serving the community meal for as long as anyone can remember, for at least the last 25 years.

"One of our members started it years ago, and she only had five or six people coming," said Williams. "At one time, Zion used to be part of Lancaster's meal program. I think the original purpose was for fellowship. Then we realized there was a need to take meals to people."

For additional information, go to http://www.zionleola.org.