The Global Affairs class at Cliff Temple Baptist Church has volunteered together at the Well Community for a decade. They’ve lent a hand in several ways, including serving lunch at the Well’s Community Life Center. But, as Kay Frierson, a member of this class, shares, “What we really love doing is hosting the big Christmas banquet.”
For 10 years, the class has provided the festive dinner that’s part of the Well’s holiday party, working with Norma’s Café to create the menu, paying for the food, picking it up on the big day and making sure each plate is served with a smile. While it’s a big undertaking, it’s an act of service that brings the class joy year after year.
“[Well Community members] are very appreciative. They're gracious,” says Kay. “It's just fun to see a big plate of food set before them. … It just brings you joy to see their faces. And it is fun to serve them. It brings me pleasure.”
As the class has had the pleasure of volunteering at the Christmas party, they’ve also enjoyed inviting others from Cliff Temple to get involved with them, bringing together those who are able to give financially and those who can serve in a more hands-on way. The Global Affairs class, comprised of senior citizens, “cannot wait on tables,” Kay explains. “They can't drive at night, but they can give generously, and they do.”
A younger class at Cliff Temple, Crossroads, acts as the hands and feet of their generosity. Crossroads members join them on the big day to serve dinner and help to pay for the meal as well. Together, they bless Well Community members with a time that truly makes the holiday season special—an opportunity to celebrate that is, for most, their only Christmas gathering.
Knowing that makes hosting the party an especially joyful experience. Kay shares that while she and others in the class regularly share festive meals with family for the holidays, members of the Well Community aren’t able to enjoy that same blessing. “We have plenty of food in our town, and they don't always have a Christmas dinner. … They're out there, and they're forgotten.”
For Kay and those who volunteer with her, it’s a way to serve as Jesus did and as He would want them to do. “If Jesus were to walk in the door, he would go to the Well people first,” Kay says. “When he fed the 5,000, he had compassion. And I think that's what you feel when you see these wonderful people. … So, we're to follow him and love your neighbor as yourself. They're our neighbors, and so we love them. We're only doing what God has asked us to do.”
She adds, “It's a privilege that God gives us that responsibility to do that. And I just feel we are called to do that, to love our neighbor as ourselves.”
She tells others thinking about serving at the Well, “Just get in there with people that are not like you.” She encourages them to come and learn about Well Community members and to know that God would want them to serve. “He works through us,” she states. “And just to think that you're doing God's will brings joy to you.”
The joy flows both ways as Kay and the rest of the Global Affairs class serves each Christmas. And, for Well Community members, it’s a gift that shows them they’re remembered and loved during the holidays.
Our annual holiday party was a festive and fantastic time for our members! A HUGE THANK YOU to all who helped to make this celebration such a special evening.
- To Greg Price and Cliff Temple Baptist choir members Roger Jackson and Debbie Webb, thank you for leading us in singing Christmas carols and filling the air with cheer.
- To Rev. Kenny Cheshire of Cliff Temple Baptist, thank you for delivering a Christmas message to our members.
- To Kay Frierson and the Global Affairs and Crossroads Sunday school class teams, thank you for providing, plating and serving a feast from Norma’s Cafe.
- To Kessler Park United Methodist Church, thank you for bringing and plating dessert. A special thanks to Vickie Fisk and Oscar Brown for the festive decorations.
- To volunteers from the Young Men’s Service League Oak Cliff Chapter, thank you for helping to serve the meal, clean up and hand out gift bags to our members.
- To Cerena Fain and Richard Summerall, thank you for handing out gift bags (and smiles) to our members.
- To Rick Lawson, thank you for being our Santa Claus!
- To Tiesha and Marques White, thank you for helping take photos of our members with Santa.
- To Wanda and Richard Gass, thank you for coming to connect with members, giving the gift of presence.
- To all who donated Walmart gift cards and items to fill tote bags for our members, thank you for your generosity!
- And, to our staff, we appreciate all you’ve done to make this night a success! Thank you to Alondra Renteria for helping to take Santa photos, to Ericka Ruiz and Anthony Green for handing out Walmart gift cards, to Darlene Kindall for coordinating Santa’s arrival and to Colleen Martin for keeping an eye on it all and stepping in where we needed it.
So many people made this night possible, and to anyone we overlooked here, please know we are no less grateful for you! To all of you, our Executive Director, Alice Zaccarello, says THANK YOU for bringing joy to our members and giving them a truly blessed and happy holiday.
The Well Community relies on the help of many generous volunteers year-round. Learn how you, your family or your church or social group could serve at the Well.