We are called to love one another in love. Some feel that love can be obtained thru one’s stomach. On Shrove Tuesday, Feb. 17, the Hamburg Community Group from Fleetwood Bible Church did just that. They traveled to Hope Rescue Mission in Reading to make more than 600 fasnachts.
Rich Bracy, community group leader, used his late grandmothers’ recipe as his guide. According to Bracy, the project started by wanting to remember and honor his late grandmother. This year, he also wanted to honor his late aunt who always helped make the fasnachts in his grandmother’s home.
Bracy’s grandmother was a very godly women who never wanted to draw attention to herself. But this project has nothing to do with drawing attention to oneself. It is about sharing the love of Jesus Christ with our fellow man. For that, the group was confident that grandmother would be thrilled to see her recipe used to support those in need.
About a dozen people from the group mixed the dough on Monday night, Feb. 16. They then rolled and fried the delights on Tuesday morning. Many of the men at the mission arrived to the smell of freshly fried treats. At lunch time, they were able to sample fasnachts that were still warm.
“You know that you are doing a good thing when men come up and thank you for taking the time to spend the day with them at the mission,” said Kathi Bracy, Rich’s wife. “I don’t know who gets the bigger blessing…the men for getting a homemade treat or the group who gets to interact with the men and see how well received the gift is.”
Last year was the first fasnachts making event at Hope Rescue Mission for this group. Last year, all of the fasnachts stayed with the men. This year, the group decided to reach out just a bit further. They delivered 10 dozen fasnachts to the women and children at Berks Women in Crisis. They also took some to a local nursing home in Fleetwood.
Fasnachts are a German tradition that is observed the day before Lent begins.
