Lord’s Lunch growing at St. John Lutheran in New Freedom

When St. John Lutheran Church in New Freedom kicked off its Lord’s Lunch program in June, the five clients were outnumbered by volunteers.

By the time the program finished serving Thanksgiving dinner to the needy Saturday, the number of meals served totaled 138, said Linda Schmalzer, church volunteer.

“It’s been a real heartwarming ministry,” she said.

A nonprofit, ecumenical program, the Lord’s Lunch includes a free, nutritious meal for residents of Southern York County and Northern Baltimore County. The food is donated by the York County Food Bank, Schmalzer said, and the church offers two meals a month at its 175 E. Main St. home. Meals are held on the second and fourth Saturdays, but that schedule was altered for the November and December holidays.

“We always have clothes to give away, and we always have family bags and individual bags of food to give away,” Schmalzer said.

The idea originated when church secretary Maria Zanella’s daughter, Keila, needed a project to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. The church is targeting not just the unemployed and homeless, Schmalzer said, but also people who might just be lonely.

St. John publicized Lord’s Lunch through fliers around town and emails to local congregations, Rev. George Schneider said. Attendance spiked following the September floods, he said. “I think what has been key to this is word-of-mouth.”

The plan is to spread the program among various congregations in the county, Schneider said. That way, the volunteer burden is shared and more people are reached, he said.

Upcoming meals are scheduled for Dec. 10 and 17. The latter date includes lunch with Santa, gifts for children and a photo opportunity.

In other religion news around the region:

New Mass translation: Sunday marks the first day of long-planned changes to the translation of the Catholic Mass. For example, Roman Catholic priests have offered the blessing for decades — “Lord be with you.” And parishioners would respond, “And also with you.”

The new response will be, “And with your spirit.” There are many other changes to the Roman Missal, the ritual text of prayers and instructions for celebrating Mass, as the Vatican seeks to adhere more to the original Latin text.

Members of the church have called it the biggest change to Catholic worship in generations.

“We’re tinkering with a very intimate and personal moment,” said the Rev. Richard Hilgartner, executive director of the worship office for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “It’s public worship, it’s the church’s official public prayer, but for the individual faithful, it’s one of the primary means of their encounter with the Lord.”

The biggest challenge will be for priests, who must learn intricate new speaking parts — often late in their years of service to the church.

The Rev. Joshua Brommer, liturgical coordinator for the Diocese of Harrisburg, has been working for months to prepare all involved for the changes. Priests have been discussing the changes in homilies, in notices in parish bulletins, and in workshops and webinars. Some plan to assist parishioners by placing reference cards in the pews.

“The most important advice I give to people going to Mass this weekend is to be patient,” Brommer said.

For more details, go to www.hbgdiocese.org and click on “New Roman Missal” on the right side of the home page.

New dean: The Lancaster Theological Seminary Board of Trustees appointed David Mellott vice president for academic affairs and dean of the seminary on Oct. 28. Mellott filled both roles on an interim basis since January 2011.

A member of the faculty since 2005, Mellott served as director of ministerial formation and assistant professor of practical theology. He holds a doctorate in theological studies from Emory University; a master’s degree in religious studies; a Licentiate in sacred theology from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium; and a bachelor’s degree in English literature and Latin American studies from The Pontifical College Josephinum.

A member of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Mellott and his partner, Lance Mullins, live in Lancaster.