Main Street United Methodist Church’s Honduras Mission Team is pleased to announce that this weekend they will be making Apple Butter – the old fashioned way over a wood fire in a copper kettle. The process will begin Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. and then again Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. with the preparation of 12 bushels of apples.
According to project chairman, Mike Short, “The apples must first be cleaned and cored and then cooked down into apple sauce before turning the mixture into apple butter.” He remarked, “Our recipe and the process has come from our Genesis Sunday School class, and they passed the baton to our Honduras Mission Team.” Once the apple sauce is made, it will then be cooked in copper kettles over an open fire starting Sunday morning at about 6:00 a.m.
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Rileigh Bellitto, Main Street’s youngest missionary who went to Honduras at age 7 in 2005 said, “I am really anxious about helping with this project and know that it will do a great deal of good for the residents and families in El Paraiso.”
Doing good for the families in El Paraiso is exactly what Team Honduras plans to do with proceeds from their Apple Butter Sale. According to Main Street’s Mission Chairman and Honduras Team member, Alan Lipe, “We learned about a new bucket filtration system at our recent Honduras Summit which utilizes a dialysis filter and will provide clean drinking water for up to 4 families for their entire lifetime at a cost of only $50 per system.” He added, “We are hopeful that proceeds from this project will continue to help us improve the quality of life for the families that we serve in El Paraiso.”
Main Street’s mission initiative in Honduras began with 12 people in 2005 and the team has now grown to about 31 people who will be heading to Honduras in June of 2011. According to team leader, Greg Gelzinnis, “We are overjoyed that so many new people will be joining us when we go this year.” Gelzinnis remarked, “We will probably begin work on the church parsonage on land just behind the church that we helped start in 2005 and we will again be providing VBS for the children in the village.” Team member, Rich Steward said, “Being able to provide clean water for the families will also be a great plus as we begin to evangelize and build up the church membership in El Paraiso and the surrounding village.” He added, “This is a great service that the United Methodist Church can provide for the people of Honduras.”
Anyone wishing to stop by and watch the apple butter being made in the big copper kettles may do so on Sunday, November 7 from about 6:00 a.m. until about 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon when the apple butter will begin being canned. Chairman Short said, “We’ll even let you or your family take a turn stirring…sort of like Tom Sawyer and white-washing the fence!” Orders for apple butter can also be made by contacting Greg Gelzinnis at 618-550-9291. The cost is $6.50 per pint jar and will be available for pick-up within the coming week. Contributions will also be accepted on-site to help with the “Water Project” for the village.
For More Information – Greg Gelzinnis – 618-550-9291
Great Photo Ops – Thursday & Friday evenings at the church kitchen starting at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday from Noon until the canning process is complete while the kettles are being stirred over the open fire.
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