Crest Church Hosts 250 Guests for Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner

WILDWOOD CREST – Thanksgiving came to Crest Community Church Nov. 21. That evening, More Than Enough Soup Ministry hosted more than 250 guests for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner; turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, potatoes au gratin, cranberries and three kinds of ice cream for dessert. 
This is an annual event for the ministry run by joint Pastors Michael Holmes and Mark Vallese. According to Holmes, this ministry is not just “a soup kitchen. We don’t just want to feed hungry bodies; we want to honor the diners. That is why we serve them at the table and do not have a buffet line.”
Holmes said he felt a conviction to start this ministry with his friend and co-minister Vallese several years ago because he saw a growing hunger among people to feel connected to each other through community. The difficult economic conditions many families face also motivated them to feed the bodies of the people in the area and in such a way that they would feel valued, and in Holmes’ words, “honored.”
“Unfortunately,” Holmes tells the Herald, the ministry is growing. More Than Enough Soup hosts guests nine months of the year, never in the summer months, every Monday and they hold big events for Thanksgiving and also just before Christmas. This year, the Christmas dinner will be held Dec. 19 at 5 p.m. at the church hall located at 5901 Pacific Avenue, Wildwood Crest.
The ministry and its many volunteers, such as Gazelle D’Agostino and Amanda Holmes, also operate a food pantry and clothing closet.
The diners had music to sup to provided by Quinn Adams, Mike Dempsey, Andy Stone, Dave Landis, Katie Chew and Vallese.
Does Holmes, whose full-time job is director of the ARC, have a dream for the ministry? Indeed he does and a surprising one at that. “My dream is to find something else to do, to not be needed,” he said. Adding, “Our real mission is to have the people of our community feel loved. We want to honor them.”
Readers may contact the ministry through Michael Holmes at 609-780-6187, or on their Facebook page, More Than Enough Soup Kitchen.
To contact Helen McCaffrey, email hmccaffrey @cmcherald.com.