Grace United Church of Christ held one of its annual Lenten dinners March 6 in the church social hall, 902 Lincoln Ave., Northampton. Meals were also planned for March 13 and 20.

The culinary offerings included crab patties or chicken fingers. The dinners included refreshments, a dinner roll, baked potato, coleslaw and a chocolate brownie for dessert.

Despite the rainy weather, the volunteer team cooking, serving food and selling tickets, was upbeat with clear teamwork. Beloved longtime former dinner coordinator Charlotte Leindecker labored as volunteer. She has reduced her leadership role, saying she was glad to give up the responsibility of coordinating the dinner fundraisers to a younger congregant.

The new dinner coordinator is LeeAnne Hortman, of Northampton. She was busy multitasking with her efficient team as the stream of patrons in social hall and takeout orders grew.

The six-member kitchen team, all members of the Grace UCC fellowship committee, labored together in sync like a fine Swiss watch. They clearly enjoyed their time working together.

Sue Kutzler, of Lehigh Township, and Betty Miller, of Catasauqua, staffed the ticket sales table, bantering with guests as they entered. The dinner proceeds are earmarked for the church’s general fund.

Longtime volunteer Charlie Kresge, of Northampton, was the event’s self-described dinner “gopher.” If anyone needed something, he got it.

Lynne Schlager, of Northampton, purchased takeout dinners. She said she frequently buys dinners from Grace UCC events because they are very tasty and at a reasonable cost. She said she is happy to support the church.

In 2026, Grace UCC celebrates 123 years as a faith community serving its members and the borough of Northampton. This impressive longevity is a testament to many volunteers — past and present — who make the church a success.

“Love God with prayer, energy and passion” is Grace UCC’s mission.

Grace is a dynamic church working to be a uniting, multiracial and multicultural inclusive church. It aims to be a peace and justice church and a church that welcomes all. Visit graceuccchurch.com for more information.

The parent church, called United Church of Christ (UCC), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States known for being highly progressive, inclusive and socially active with more than 4,600 churches and more than 700,000 members. Formed in 1957, it advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice and environmentalism. Its congregations are considered autonomous and self-governing.