02/04/2023
Streets of Gold Ministries, in collaboration with Hope Christian Center, is hosting our first Tuesday of the month communal potluck dinner and Prayer & Praise Fellowship on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. We encourage everyone to exert extra focus on Hospitality, Fellowship, Praise & Worship, Bible Study and anointed Prayer to help you live victoriously.
The potluck theme is “Rituals & Religion: Passover and The Seder Plate.”
The Jewish holiday of Passover is an annual week-long festival commemorating the emancipation of Jewish peoples. It is celebrated on the anniversary of the Israelite's miraculous exodus from ancient Egyptian slavery more than 3,000 years ago. (as documented in the book of Exodus)
The Jewish Passover Seder is a ritual feast at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It represents a movement from slavery into freedom. It celebrates the liberation of the ancient Hebrews from their slavery in Egypt. During the Seder Dinner (“seder” means “order”), families and friends gather together to retell the story of Passover.
The Seder Dinner contains many symbolic foods to illustrate the story of Passover and they are presented on a special Passover plate. Traditionally, Jews don’t eat chametz (leavened foods made from grains like wheat, oats, rye, barley and spelt). This is because when the Jews were rushed out of Egypt there was no time for the bread to rise. All they could take with them was dough.
The seder ritual contains 15 steps which includes blessings, washings, questions and answers. You also need Matzo at the table (three pieces, stacked and separated by napkins) and a dish of salt water. Participants are required to drink four cups of wine during the seder (men and women alike). Wine and blessings are also part of the ritual.
The Seder Plate: 101
The seder dinner is structured around the seder plate, which contains six foods to illustrate the story of Passover.
1. Zeroa: Roasted lamb shank bone. This symbolizes the lamb the Jews sacrificed as a special Passover offering (Pascal lamb).
2. Beitzah: Roasted (hard-boiled) egg. This symbolizes the circle of life and the festival sacrifice offered at the Temple of Jerusalem.
3. Maror: Horseradish or bitter herbs. This symbolizes the bitterness of life as a slave.
4. Chazerte: Lettuce or endive. This is another symbol of the bitter enslavement of the Jewish ancestors in Egypt.
5. Charoset: A mixture of grated apples, chopped nuts, cinnamon, and sweet red wine. This looks like the mortar and bricks that the Egyptian Pharaoh forced the slaves to make, and it also symbolizes the sweetness of freedom.
6. Karpas: Parsley, green onion. This vegetable symbolizes hope, renewal, and the coming of spring. The vegetable is dipped into salt water and as the water drips off, it symbolizes the tears of slaves.
What Food Can Teach Us
Cuisine and good food are a window into our history. It shows the movement of ancient and contemporary peoples and food ingredients and recipes across time and place. The Seder Plate Dinner is just one of several examples that reveal the intricate ways food and history are forever connected to today’s dinner table.
The more we honor cultural differences in eating, we have the opportunity to inspire individuals and organizations to embrace the healthy, sustainable joys of the "old ways" of eating; Heritage-based diets high in taste, nourishment, sustainability and joy.
Celebrate your seder dinner, or the full week of Pesach, with these Passover Recipes. Light the candles and begin with Kiddush. Start with a traditional seder plate and conclude with a sumptuous feast with many devotions and blessings in between. We encourage you to bring cultural food traditions to your everyday table.
I am not Jewish. However, I welcome the opportunity to experience the uniqueness and variety food of other cultures through their cuisine. The menu planning began with a diligent study of the seder plate as outlined above. It presented a unique challenge with all the rules and regulations of meeting the high standards of Orthodox Kosher. I can only surmise that the inconvenience of modern cooking without leavening agents and dairy and all their glorious by products is profoundly fitting for Passover.
This carefully planned (Non-Kosher) menu below represents an honest and humble attempt to reverently observe Christian Passover. I’ve paired my best meticulously-tested Passover recipes with improvised ingredients. My hopes and prayers are that we bring success and confidence to the banquet table.
The main entrée will feature (1) Zeroa: Lemon Pepper Oven-Roasted Chicken smothered in a creamy stock sauce with sautéed leeks, peppers and onions, and lemon slices, (6) Karpas: Herbed Crusted Hasselback Potatoes brushed with extra-virgin olive oil and classically seasoned with fresh garlic, rosemary, thyme and parsley. We have prepared two additional (6) Karpas themed side-dishes that includes (1) a Mixed- Vegetable Kugel loaded with spinach, artichokes, mushrooms and leeks and (2) an Eggplant, Zucchini, Butternut Squash, Tomato Gratin.
The “gourmet menu” for the communal dinner, served buffet style, will start with (2) Beitzah: Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs, (4) Chazerte: Gefilte Fish served on a crisp Romaine lettuce leaf with choice of tartar sauce and/or roasted bell pepper cocktail sauce with additional (3) Maror: horseradish, green onion and parsley on the side. A limited relish and veggie tray will be prepared and round out the menu.
Noteworthy dessert items to include an improvised yet delicious (5) Charoset made with bed of crushed pretzels filled with diced apples, trail mix and mixed dried fruits topped with a brown sugar and caramel glaze; Orange Jell-O with mandarin oranges and shredded carrots, representing peace. No banquet would be complete without providing an assortment of caffeinated and carbonated beverages. We serve hot fresh-brewed coffee, tea and choice of ice-cold juices and sodas, upon request. These will be available to guests upon their arrival.
Historically, our hospitality functions are via a communal “pot-luck dinner.” They and are scheduled bi-weekly on the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays and held on the last Saturday of the month.
The classic church potluck dinner is regarded as a rite of passage for many. Our version of a potluck dinner is where the main course and primary side-dish is provided by the host fellowship. We believe church suppers and potluck dinners are festive occasions because there is nothing better than coming together with friends-as-family to share a home-cooked meal.
The guests are invited and encouraged to bring their favorite dish-to-pass to supplement the other courses for the dinner. The prepared dish need not always be elaborate; guests optionally provide their delicious choice of appetizers, salad, the simplest complimentary side-dish or showcase decadent desserts.
Everyone has something to contribute, if not food, then at least fellowship and still enjoy being a guest at the dinner party. A free-will love-offering is encouraged to help defray the food and beverage costs.
Guests are encouraged to R.S.V.P. with integrity, by 5 o’clock, Friday, March 31, 2023. The doors will be open at 5:15 p.m. Guests are encouraged to arrive at 5:15ish p.m. to provide addition time to relax and fellowship with other believers arriving at their leisure. The communal potluck dinner will be served promptly at 6:15 p.m. The Praise & Worship and Bible study will start at 7:20 p.m.
If you have prayer requests, or any questions you can contact Guy Patterson, preferably by phone at 716-202-8423, or via Facebook or Messenger to confirm your R.S.V.P and what, if any, additional potluck dish, dessert and/or beverage you would like to contribute.
Best Regards, I am
Guy G. Patterson Jr.
P.S. Save the Dates and R.S.V.P. with Integrity
Tuesday, April 18, 2023 - The potluck theme is “Easter Ham Dinner”
Saturday, April 29, 2023 – The potluck theme is “Sliders and Sides”
