Iron Chef Challenge Accepted

St. Mark's vs. First United Methodist

Hear ye, Hear ye! Be it known to all that the Pastor and Congregation of St. Mark's Church in the fair city of Williamsport does hereby challenge the Pastors and Congregation of First United Methodist Church, also of Williamsport, to a worthy contest of the culinary arts for the purpose of stirring up support for the program, Family Promise, currently in development in Lycoming County.  

We challenge you to enter the field of contest, the kitchen of St. Mark's Church, late Sunday afternoon, April 25, 2010, with your team of three champions, one of whom must be a Pastor of the congregation, and none of whom shall be now or ever have worked professionally in food preparation.  A like team from St. Mark's will meet you there, and both teams will prepare a meal using a list of items that will be provided.

And so the challenge was made - and accepted. The competition between St. Mark’s and First UM begins at 5:00 P.M., Sunday, April 25, 2010, in Fellowship Hall, at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 142 Market St., Williamsport.

A tasty meal of salad, chicken cordon bleu, broccoli, red stripe potatoes, and roll with a chocolate delight for dessert will be served to all those making reservations through St. Mark's at 323-4619. Once the meal has been served, the cooking challenge begins. St. Mark’s team of Pastor Kenneth Elkin, Ruth Rees and Bernadette Jones face off against the First UM team led by Pr. David Spearly. In order for all those present to view the event, the contest will be projected on the large screen on stage. (It will also be streamed live on the web at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/21206448 for those unable to attend.)

75% of the $25 ticket cost will go directly to Family Promise of Lycoming County. This is very exciting, as Family Promise is ready to leap into action in April! They now have thirteen host congregations (plus several supporting churches), a director, a day center and a van! All that's needed now is funding!

If you cannot attend (or even if you can!), you can become a patron of this event in support of Family Promise of Lycoming County. We will place patrons in the a la carte listing ($1 - $49), the cordon bleu listing ($50 - $99), or the haute cuisine listing ($100 and more) of our program. Please contact St. Mark's with your donation.

Please join St. Mark’s as they defend the title, Iron Chef Williamsport, in this second annual competition. Whether you're cheering for them, for First UM or for Family Promise—they’d love to see you there!

To read the original challenge and for your viewing pleasure, please go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXsZmp8cTQU. Feel free to forward it to others after enjoying it yourself.

Iron Chef Williamsport has two aims: to raise money and friends for the Family Promise program, and to bring folks together for mutual enjoyment and community-building in friendly competition. Those involved anticipate that this event will be wildly successful. Everyone will be wondering where the “Spoon of Doom” will next be delivered.