The Ashland Christian Fellowship will offer its 36th annual public Christmas feast, which, says Pastor Mark Anderson, is for homeless and needy people, but, in the spirit of Jesus, welcomes all types and creates an atmosphere where all can meet and mingle.

The gala dinner, cooked and served by up to 200 volunteers, will be enjoyed from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 25 (Christmas Day), at the Historic Ashland Armory at Oak and B streets.

It features the usual holiday fare of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, veggies and, he says, very yummy pies baked in the church’s kitchen at Oak and Hersey streets. Local bakeries are donating bread. Church members will start making the pies on Saturday before Christmas.

“We love this dinner and do it to give back to the community in such a crazy way that it tells them about the love of Jesus, who was born on this day — and that’s the whole message of Christmas,” said Anderson, “that God loves us and gave his only son Jesus, to save us.”

Anderson, who has been pastor of the church for 18 years, said the event “welcomes the homeless, the very wealthy and that’s one of the beauties of it, that Ashland can have a true community dinner with people from all walks of life who actually talk to each other.”

To volunteer to help with the dinner, go to www.acfweb.org or call 541-482-8539.

From an article by John Darling, an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at jdarling@jeffnet.org.