The members of Cross Roads Church have a message for the community. "You don't have to be alone on Christmas," said Clare Funck. "Come and fellowship with us."

Funck is one of the many volunteers who invite people to a free Christmas meal on Thursday, Dec. 25, at the church, 800 Donegal Springs Road, Mount Joy. The meal is available for dine-in and will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The menu will feature all of the traditional holiday fare - turkey, stuffing, gourmet potatoes, green beans and a variety of desserts. Everything is donated and prepared by volunteers.

"When you come in the door, you'll be greeted by a church member who will welcome you in," said Kendric Bert, who is chairing the event. "You'll go into the gym, and we'll seat you for the meal."

As Funck explained, people will be seated with others to encourage camaraderie.

"We try to fill the tables up," she said. "That way, everyone has some fellowship. That's really the goal of this meal, to encourage fellowship."

Church member Joe McFarland originated the meal almost 30 years ago.

"There were a lot of places that did Thanksgiving meals, but at the time, there was nobody that had Christmas meals," he recalled. "It's such a special day, and there should be something for people who might be alone."

He took the idea to the church members, who worried he'd have trouble finding volunteers on Christmas Day and instead encouraged him to hold the meal on Christmas Eve. The first meal was held on Dec. 24, with about 50 people attending.

The next year, Joe pushed for a Christmas Day meal, noting that it was important to him to have the meal on the holiday.

"It's been that way ever since," he said. "We've never had an issue with volunteers. In fact, we've even had to turn some volunteers away, because we had enough."

Although volunteers start as early as 6 a.m. and the day does not conclude until late afternoon, it's become a tradition at the church, Joe said.

"The original purpose of this meal was for our community to enjoy fellowship on Christmas," he said, noting that his family, including his wife, Ruth, have also helped with the event since the start. "It's about sharing Christ's love on such a special day."

He's also noticed that the meal has connected people far beyond a one-time experience.

"It's about building relationships," he said. "We have people that come back year after year after year. We look forward to seeing each other every year. That's the neat part."

For Bert, the meal provides an opportunity to bless others while counting his own blessings.

"It makes me thankful for what I do have," he said. "I do have family that's close and can have a meal, but there are people that can't do that, so this is a way to give back."

Funck has participated as a volunteer for more than 20 years.

"I moved from New York, and my family was not in PA," she said. "Joe approached me and asked if I'd like to help on Christmas Day, and with no family in the area, I felt like it was serving me as much as I was serving them. And that's what Christmas is all about - helping others."

While there is no charge for the meal, people may bring an item to donate to the Mount Joy Food Bank if they would like to, Joe said.

"There is no obligation to do that. This meal is our gift to the community," he said. "We want to tell people, 'Come join us on Christmas. Don't stay home.'"

Reservations are requested but not required for the meal. To make a reservation, visit https://crossroadsbic.com/christmas. Takeout meals may be available under special circumstances. To arrange for takeout, call the church at 717-653-1616.