Valentine's Brunch sees good attendance

Members of the Cross of Glory Lutheran Church of Hartland held their third annual Valentine’s Day brunch over the breakfast and lunch hour on Sunday, Feb. 22. They had between 75-85 people come through their line and every table in the room was abuzz with conversation.

 

Upon walking into the dining room, there was a pretty table in the front lined with pink and red paper, fancy doilies and lots of desserts, including cookies, cakes, bars, and donuts. Carol Light was the lady in charge for the day; she helped organize the event, and gave credit for the work to all members of the church’s “Altar Guild.”

 

“This was free for anyone who wanted to show up today,” said Light, “but we were accepting free will donations. All of the food you see was prepared and donated by us as individuals or paid for by the Altar Guild.”

 

Giving a quick tour of their fancy-looking and very clean kitchen, Light pointed to the biscuits and gravy, then to the four egg bakes sitting side by side on the counter, “We had a French toast bake, a gluten free bake, a sausage and cheese bake.” Light’s granddaughter Brynn was following her around, occasionally yanking on her grandmother’s shirt for attention. Little Brynn added, “I liked the peach yogurt and the cookies best.”

 

Pastor Marcia Pedersen walked through; she shared an observation about the church service earlier, “There were more faces in the crowd today and I suspect that might be in part because of the brunch. We wholeheartedly welcome everyone; that’s what we’re here for. Church service was great today, but when that cooking starts, and that smell starts spreading into the church, people don’t mean to get antsy, but it happens when that smell gets to us–and I’m just as guilty.”

 

The day’s brunch was an effort to raise money for a new bell tower. Light said, “This church was built in 1963, and the original bell tower was raised and installed in the early 70s. Today we have seven Altar Guild ladies helping out, one daughter and one husband. We were set up today for 160 people just in case, but if we don’t get that many, that’s okay too.”