But as the

year 2000, and the anniversary, approached, interest rekindled, and eventually

enough recipes came in to fill nearly 300 pages. More volunteers became

involved, recipes were revised into a standardized format, and duplicates

tactfully eliminated.

Artists from

the congregation Marquita Foster, Jim Christopher and Beth Hornish designed

the red-and-black cover with the church's logo, as well as divider pages

featuring archived photos of the church's early years. Each divider page

has a favorite "grace" printed on it.

The book includes

a brief history of the congregation and pages of measuring equivalents

and storage tips. Marilynn Sowell inherited the job of chairman and editor,

and had to handle sometimes-difficult negotiations with the publisher,

Wimmer of Memphis, Tenn. Nina Divins and Debbie Grubbs typed and retyped

tirelessly, and a team of proofreaders read and reread for errors and

inconsistencies.

Other committee

members involved in the project were Karen Cook, Lori Gilstrap, René

Griffith, Janet Lucas, Carole Lynch, Sue Memmer, Mary Kay Moore, Don Morris,

JoAn Morris, Carolyn Mullins and Sallie Satterthwaite. A dedication page

honors the memory of Margaret Cawthon, a long-time member of the congregation

who had contributed recipes for many of her popular dishes before her

death in early 1999.

The book was

introduced to the congregation with a potluck supper featuring dishes

from the book. In addition to the predictable soups, salads, casseroles

and desserts there are also sections of children's favorites, pasta and

vegetarian dishes. The old stand-bys, like the chili concoctions members

traditionally share on Thanksgiving Eve, are well-represented.

But there are

many that are more exotic. Consider Texas caviar, conch chowder, blue

cheese coleslaw, alligator picante, Bohemian crud, baby armadillos, babotee

and pavlova.

"Feeding

the Flock" is not a fund-raiser but an anniversary memento, Ethier

said, and has been priced only to recover the cost of publication. It

is available at the church, at 101 Peachtree Pkwy. (770-487-8717), with

a price break for buying in quantity, or at Omega Books at Peachtree Crossing

in Peachtree City (770-487-3977) and at Collectors' Corner in Sharpsburg

(770-251-6835).

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