After a two-year absence because of the pandemic, community dinners are again being served at St. Peter United Church of Christ (UCC), located on Route 23 in Knauertown.

Community dinners are typically held on the last Friday of each month from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The meal is free, but a collection jar is available on the table where the coffee and desserts are served so that people can donate a freewill offering.

The community meal began with a "soft opening" in August and returned to a full-scale dinner on Sept. 30, when 35 people attended. The menu included ziti pasta with a choice of Bolognese; sausage, peppers and onions; squash, carrots and onions; or a fall squash blend. Diners also enjoyed Italian bread and assorted desserts.

The food is prepared by church member Paul Baringer, who is not a professional chef but describes himself as a "foodie" who loves to eat and prepare food. Church volunteers help prepare, serve and clean up after the meal.

"Our last meal was in February of 2020. We were prepared for the (dinner) in March, but then the state shut everything down," Baringer recalled. "Because we are just getting back into it, we are trying to offer a lot of different things so that people have a variety to choose from."

Community dinners began at St. Peter UCC in October of 2013. The idea was to offer a free meal to those with financial difficulties. Today, community members of all ages and backgrounds are welcome to attend the dinners, where they can enjoy good food and fellowship with others. "It's a wide range of people, but (mostly) older folks. We had one family that used to come religiously," Baringer stated.

Because the church is still cognizant of the pandemic, the tables are spaced apart during the dinner, and the meal is no longer served buffet-style. "People sit at the tables, and we come and take their orders, and we bring their entree to them. They can get their coffee and dessert at their leisure," Baringer explained. "(This way), people are not standing in line and congregating. They are sitting down with the people they came with." He noted that the buffet-style dinner may return in subsequent months.

In addition to the community meal, the church offers an indoor/outdoor flea market on the second Saturday of every month from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. "Our congregation started back with the flea markets earlier this year," Baringer noted.

The next community dinner will be held on Friday, Oct. 28. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, November's meal will be held on Friday, Nov. 18, when a complete Thanksgiving dinner will be served.

For more information about the church, call the church office at 610-469-9690 or visit http://www.stpeterucc.org or http://www.facebook.com/stpeterunitedchurch. For GPS users, the church's address is 1920 Ridge Road, Pottstown.