Latta UMC Working To Feed The Material And Spiritual Needs Of Community

By Betsy Finklea
The Latta United Methodist Church is working to feed the material and spiritual needs of the community through a monthly ministry called “Feed The Need.”
Feed The Need will celebrate four years of serving the community in November. The ministry came about through the efforts of Ronnie Carter, a member of Latta United Methodist Church.
Carter went with his father-in-law, a member of Christ United Methodist Church in Bennettsville, to a similar event that they hold there in the old B.C. Moore’s store. They have a monthly meal, clothing giveaway, and then a speaker or devotion. All of the churches in the community take turns helping out one month of the year.
Carter said after he attended, he thought this would be a good thing to do in the Latta community.
In Latta, they have a monthly dinner and speaker and a quarterly clothing giveaway in the months of January, April, July, and October. Carter said if they get more donations of clothes, they may have the clothing giveaway every other month.
Carter said since this ministry has begun in Latta, they have been able to help burned out families, families whose children didn’t have school clothes, and others in the community. For the past three years, Santa Claus has visited the December Feed The Need, but this year they plan to do something different and focus on one family for gifts. They will still have their regular dinner and will give out candy and fruit.
At Thanksgiving this year, they plan to hold a Thanksgiving dinner with fried turkey and the trimmings.
While the effort has been led primarily by Latta United Methodist Church, they have had assistance from other churches including Pyerian Baptist Church and Christ United Methodist Church. Carter said they would welcome participation from other churches in the community. Carter said he would like to see it become a community effort like it is in Bennettsville.
“It’s a blessing to them (the participants),” said Carter, “but it’s more a blessing to us.”
At the October dinner, the Latta United Methodist Church’s Journey Sunday School class assisted.
The Journey Sunday School class is a “come as you are” afternoon Sunday School class at the church. It meets at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoons in the ladies chapel of the church and welcomes new members.
At the October event, the class provided the meal and speaker and helped with the clothing giveaway.
After a message by Paul Gasque, the class served the meal of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, green beans, rolls, cake, and donut holes.
The members of the class say they were blessed by the experience.
Carol Epps, a member of the Journey Sunday School class, said it was a blessing to be able to meet and greet those who attended. She said this event was about bringing the people together in the community no matter where they are in life.
Paul Gasque agreed and said that we must be able to see through the eyes of the compassion of Christ and not through the eyes of the things that divide us.
Laura Gasque said the ministry address the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of the participants and that it was more than about feeding their body, but their other needs as well.
Belva Britt said the event was more than about staying in a kitchen and feeding people, it was about getting to know the attendees and finding ways to help others in the community.
Feed The Need meets the second Saturday of the month at 10:30 a.m., and all are welcome.
If you would like to make a monetary donation to assist in this effort, please mail it to Latta United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 95, Latta, S.C. 29565 and designate it for Feed The  Need.
If you have gently-used clothes that you would like to donate to Feed The Need, you may drop those off at the church office between the hours of 9 a.m.-12 noon, Monday-Friday.
If your church is interested in participating in Feed The Need or if you would like more information about the Journey Sunday School class, please call the church office at 843-752-5432.
The Latta United Methodist Church is located at 306 North Marion Street, Latta.