Love feast spoons support church's mission.

Spoons rescued from a fire in a church in Iowa 61 years ago were auctioned at a "Spoon Dinner" Jan. 30 by Fairview Church of the Brethren to raise money for the church and for Brethren missions. The spoons, which were imprinted with the word "Brethren," were among the few items pulled out of the congregation's first church building when it burned down on Jan. 7, 1944.

Last summer the Ladies Aid group found the spoons stored away, and wondered what to do with them, reported Diane Mason, a member of the congregation. The women decided "to use something old to benefit the current mission of the church," she said. Coincidentally, when the spoons were originally purchased for the church, a couple in the congregation--Richard and Ann Burger, who are still members--were preparing to go to Nigeria as missionaries, Mason said.

Each person who bought a spoon received a history of the Fairview church, which is located south of Unionville, Iowa, and the story of the spoons' rescue. "The simple rectangular structure served the growing congregation for nearly 78 years" from when it was built in 1866, the history read. The fire began after "the furnace had been lit in preparation for Communion and Love Feast. It overheated and caught the floor beams on fire. The building burned to the ground in three and one-half hours despite the valiant efforts of community members to fight the fire."

Among the few items saved "was the walnut `preaching table' around which the deacons and elders sat to lead worship," the story read. "It had drawers in which the Love Feast foot-washing basins and other items were kept.... Most likely the spoons we are auctioning today were in one of the drawers. A large picture of Jesus was also rescued from the fire by church member Dwight Powell. By the time Powell went in for the picture, the smoke had thickened to where he could not see. The men on the outside kept talking to him to guide him out by the sound of their voices."

"We had 36 people at the Spoon Dinner," said Mason. "Spoon and finger foods were featured: four soups, relishes, cookies, ice cream, etc. After the meal, we watched the `Dear Friends' DVD from the General Board to learn about present-day Church of the Brethren missions." Some 45 of the spoons and a few other items were auctioned for a total of $1,149, a tithe of which will be sent to Church of the Brethren missions.

Source: 2/2/2005 Newsline
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