POTLUCK DINNER INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS
A. INITIAL MEETING WITH COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
1. Scheduling The Meeting: If possible, try to have the initial meeting with your committee on a Sunday after church one to three weeks before the dinner.
2. Theme and Décor: At the meeting, you will need to select a theme or plan for your table and room decorations. Frequently, the theme selected is related in some way to the program, the season, or a major holiday occurring in the month. But this is not essential. A simple fresh flower arrangement or attractive blooming plant is always appropriate for table centerpieces. In past years, when plants were used as the center piece, we have sold raffle tickets for the table centerpiece and actually made money on the décor! (Many of the decorations used during recent years are stored in our Shipmates lockers on the upper story of the new edition. The chairs are encouraged to see what is available there before having the initial meeting and to use existing decorations whenever possible.) Once a theme is selected and table decorations discussed, one or more committee members should be assigned the task of purchasing any supplies needed for the room décor and of supervising the table decorating on the day of the dinner.
3. Calling List Distribution: You will need to divide the Shipmates calling list among the committee members so that the calling task is fairly distributed. (The chairs should make a note indicating the calling page assignments that have been made.) The calling should be done no earlier than 2 weeks before the dinner and no later than the Monday before the dinner. It is important to make appropriate notations on the calling sheet in pencil when you call. If you speak with the person and he or she is unable to attend, write "No" in the space. If he or she will be coming to the dinner, write the number of people (including any guests) and the letter "C"for main dish, "S"for salad and "D"for dessert. If you do not reach the party, leave a message and write "CB" in the space or in the margin. The calling task is simplified when you reach an answering machine if you leave a concise message with your name, telephone number, and a request for the essential information we need. The following message is offered as an example.
"Hello . My name is and I am calling on behalf of the Shipmates at church. We are hoping that you (and_______) will be able to join us at our potluck dinner on (date). Please call me back as soon as possible at (your phone number) and let me know if you can attend and if so, which of the following food selections you will be bringing: a casserole or main dish for 10-12; a salad for 10; or a dessert for 10. If you are responding for yourself alone, your selection need only serve 5 or 6. If you are bringing quests, we ask that you bring additional food and be sure to let us know the number of guests. I look forward to hearing from you."
It is suggested that you repeat your name and telephone number at the end of your message.
Committee members need to call or e-mail the chairs with the results of their calling no later than the Friday before the dinner. If the chairs have not heard from any of their committee members by then, they should contact those members.
It is very important that committee members return their call sheets to their chairs on the day of the Potluck.
4. Punch Assignment: The chairs need to assign one of the committee members to purchase the supplies for the punch before the dinner and to make the punch at the dinner by 6:00 p.m. in time for the social hour. (The purchases are reimbursable so be sure to save the receipts and give them to the treasurer on the night of the dinner.)
5. Purchasing of Additional Supplies and Beverage Supervision: The chairs need to assign one or two committee members to purchase the additional supplies needed and to supervise the making and serving of coffee, tea and water during the dinner. The additional supplies needed include the following: a quart of Half and Half, a pound of De-Caf coffee, a pound of butter, and a non-dairy creamer (if we do not have this in the kitchen). The beverage supervisory duties on the night of the dinner include making the coffee in one of the large S canisters at the back of the Community Hall; brewing the tea; making sure that the coffee carafes and water pitchers are filled and placed on the tables before dinner is served; and serving the tea at each of the tables after members have been through the dinner line. It also will be necessary to serve coffee, tea and water refills at the tables during the dinner and if we have a large turn-out a second canister of coffee may be needed. It is suggested that back up (filled) water pitchers be placed in the refrigerator prior to the dinner to replace empty pitchers on the tables.
6. Order of Tables: The committee needs to decide on an order for calling the tables to line up for dinner. Often the method selected is related to the program or theme of the evening. Whichever way this is done, the head-table(s) need to be called first. (The committee chairs need to make arrangements before the dinner with the skippers regarding who will be calling the tables. The process takes some time and the dinner chairs and committee members often are involved in other tasks related to the dinner and cannot stand at the mike for 20 minutes calling the next table.)
B. AFTER CHURCH SET-UP ON DAY OF THE POTLUCK
1. Table Set Up: The committee meets in the Community Hall right after church on the day of the potluck to set up the tables for the event and to do as much of the decorating as possible. It is suggested that you draft some able-bodied guy friends from the patio coffee hour to help with the heavy lifting and moving of tables. (Flattery works wonders here!) There are two rows of rectangular tables (2 tables per row) in the back of the Community Hall for the food. A fifth rectangular table is needed for the dinner committee and a sixth for the Lookouts. One card-table is needed for the punch. Up to 10 round tables can be set up for the dinner guests depending upon the number of guests expected. (It is advisable to have at least one extra table set up near the back of the Hall for late or unexpected guests. Place a reserved sign on the extra table so that it will be used only for overflow when the other tables are full.)
2. Table setting: Cover the rectangular food tables with plastic (or the rectangular white fabric cloths) and arrange straw mats on top of the tables for hot dishes. Cover the rest of the tables with white fabric tablecloths (found on hangers behind the stage door on the right) and do as much of the table/room décor as possible. Salt and pepper shakers, sugar bowls and cream pitchers (to be filled later) can be placed on the table as well as paper napkins and plastic cups for the water.
3. Confirm time for dinner: The chairs need to confirm with the skippers the precise time that the dinner will begin so that the food is ready and does not get cold before the guests have been through the line.
C. PRE-DINNER TASKS
The chairs need to set the time for the committee to arrive in the evening (between 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. depending upon how much there is to do) and the chairs should assign members the following tasks as well as the tasks identified in Section D below:
1. Turn on the coffee maker and prepare at least one pre-measured replacement filter for a second pot in that same canister if a large number of guests is expected. (Coffee instructions are provided with these general instructions. You can also talk with Norma, our kitchen supervisor for assistance.)
2. Fill the second canister with water and turn the canister on a high temperature until water is hot. The hot water in this canister will be used for tea.
3. Turn on one of the ovens to a low warming temperature and the other to 350 degrees for dishes needing a higher temperature. Monitor the dishes placed in each of the ovens.
4. Receive and organize the dishes as they arrive into stations. Do not toss and dress the salads. This is the responsibility of the person who brought the salad.
5. Fill the water pitchers and place one on each of the tables.
6. Fill the cream pitchers which already are on the table.
7. When coffee is done, turn down the heat switch to 7 or 8 and fill the white coffee carafes. Place one carafe on each table.
8. Brew the tea and place the filled carafes on one of the rolling carts near the silverware in the back of the kitchen.
9. Place paper plates, extra napkins, paper cups and plastic eating utensils on the kitchen counter near the telephone for guests who forget to bring their own.
10. Locate the basket for collecting $3.00 from each member.
D. TASKS DURING DINNER
1. Ten minutes before dinner is to begin, set out all casseroles, main dishes, salads, rolls and butter.
2. Hold back several hot dishes so that there will be food for the people who are served last.
3. The committee should eat during the time the guests are going through the buffet line.
4. One or two committee members should offer tea as guests return to their tables.
5. After the committee has finished with dinner, two members need to make the rounds through the hall with water, coffee and tea re-fills. A third member needs to visit each table with the basket set aside for collecting the $3.00 payment owed by each member. (Guests do not pay.)
6. After most of the guests have finished dinner, the back tables should be cleared and the deserts brought out. Coffee and water re-fills also should be made while guests are eating desert.
E. TASKS AFTER DINNER
1. Set out serving dishes on the back table for members to claim; do not wash them.
2. Collect the salt and pepper shakers, sugar bowls and creamers from the back table and return them to the kitchen.
3. Remove decorations, any remaining items, table cloths and sponge off tables.
4. Have the skippers ask shipmates not on the committee to assist with taking down the tables and chairs and putting them away. The round tables should be placed on the carts in the Sunday School area and the rectangular tables and chairs should be returned to the storage bin under the stage.
5. Assign 2 or 3 committee members to launder the tablecloths and dishcloths belonging to the church. Oxy-Magic, Oxy-clean or bleach may be used to remove any stains on the tablecloths. The tablecloths should be dried on the wash and wear cycle until dry. There is no need to iron them but they should be placed on hangers when removed from the drier and, along with any dishcloths belonging to the church, should be returned to church as soon as possible.
6. Rinse the carafes used for tea and coffee and place on one of the rolling carts in the back of the kitchen. Pour out any remaining water from the water pitchers and place the pitchers on a rolling cart as well.
7. Wash any church dishes, plates or bowls which were used for the dinner. Return all clean kitchen items to properly labeled drawers or cabinets, remove any food items brought for the potluck from the refrigerator before leaving, and be sure the kitchen counters and sinks are clean when you leave and the floor has been swept.
8. The chairs should collect calling lists and any expense reports.
9. Final check by chairs: Check to see that the ovens, coffee and water canisters, and furnace have been turned off. Close windows and lock all doors.
A. INITIAL MEETING WITH COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
1. Scheduling The Meeting: If possible, try to have the initial meeting with your committee on a Sunday after church one to three weeks before the dinner.
2. Theme and Décor: At the meeting, you will need to select a theme or plan for your table and room decorations. Frequently, the theme selected is related in some way to the program, the season, or a major holiday occurring in the month. But this is not essential. A simple fresh flower arrangement or attractive blooming plant is always appropriate for table centerpieces. In past years, when plants were used as the center piece, we have sold raffle tickets for the table centerpiece and actually made money on the décor! (Many of the decorations used during recent years are stored in our Shipmates lockers on the upper story of the new edition. The chairs are encouraged to see what is available there before having the initial meeting and to use existing decorations whenever possible.) Once a theme is selected and table decorations discussed, one or more committee members should be assigned the task of purchasing any supplies needed for the room décor and of supervising the table decorating on the day of the dinner.
3. Calling List Distribution: You will need to divide the Shipmates calling list among the committee members so that the calling task is fairly distributed. (The chairs should make a note indicating the calling page assignments that have been made.) The calling should be done no earlier than 2 weeks before the dinner and no later than the Monday before the dinner. It is important to make appropriate notations on the calling sheet in pencil when you call. If you speak with the person and he or she is unable to attend, write "No" in the space. If he or she will be coming to the dinner, write the number of people (including any guests) and the letter "C"for main dish, "S"for salad and "D"for dessert. If you do not reach the party, leave a message and write "CB" in the space or in the margin. The calling task is simplified when you reach an answering machine if you leave a concise message with your name, telephone number, and a request for the essential information we need. The following message is offered as an example.
"Hello . My name is and I am calling on behalf of the Shipmates at church. We are hoping that you (and_______) will be able to join us at our potluck dinner on (date). Please call me back as soon as possible at (your phone number) and let me know if you can attend and if so, which of the following food selections you will be bringing: a casserole or main dish for 10-12; a salad for 10; or a dessert for 10. If you are responding for yourself alone, your selection need only serve 5 or 6. If you are bringing quests, we ask that you bring additional food and be sure to let us know the number of guests. I look forward to hearing from you."
It is suggested that you repeat your name and telephone number at the end of your message.
Committee members need to call or e-mail the chairs with the results of their calling no later than the Friday before the dinner. If the chairs have not heard from any of their committee members by then, they should contact those members.
It is very important that committee members return their call sheets to their chairs on the day of the Potluck.
4. Punch Assignment: The chairs need to assign one of the committee members to purchase the supplies for the punch before the dinner and to make the punch at the dinner by 6:00 p.m. in time for the social hour. (The purchases are reimbursable so be sure to save the receipts and give them to the treasurer on the night of the dinner.)
5. Purchasing of Additional Supplies and Beverage Supervision: The chairs need to assign one or two committee members to purchase the additional supplies needed and to supervise the making and serving of coffee, tea and water during the dinner. The additional supplies needed include the following: a quart of Half and Half, a pound of De-Caf coffee, a pound of butter, and a non-dairy creamer (if we do not have this in the kitchen). The beverage supervisory duties on the night of the dinner include making the coffee in one of the large S canisters at the back of the Community Hall; brewing the tea; making sure that the coffee carafes and water pitchers are filled and placed on the tables before dinner is served; and serving the tea at each of the tables after members have been through the dinner line. It also will be necessary to serve coffee, tea and water refills at the tables during the dinner and if we have a large turn-out a second canister of coffee may be needed. It is suggested that back up (filled) water pitchers be placed in the refrigerator prior to the dinner to replace empty pitchers on the tables.
6. Order of Tables: The committee needs to decide on an order for calling the tables to line up for dinner. Often the method selected is related to the program or theme of the evening. Whichever way this is done, the head-table(s) need to be called first. (The committee chairs need to make arrangements before the dinner with the skippers regarding who will be calling the tables. The process takes some time and the dinner chairs and committee members often are involved in other tasks related to the dinner and cannot stand at the mike for 20 minutes calling the next table.)
B. AFTER CHURCH SET-UP ON DAY OF THE POTLUCK
1. Table Set Up: The committee meets in the Community Hall right after church on the day of the potluck to set up the tables for the event and to do as much of the decorating as possible. It is suggested that you draft some able-bodied guy friends from the patio coffee hour to help with the heavy lifting and moving of tables. (Flattery works wonders here!) There are two rows of rectangular tables (2 tables per row) in the back of the Community Hall for the food. A fifth rectangular table is needed for the dinner committee and a sixth for the Lookouts. One card-table is needed for the punch. Up to 10 round tables can be set up for the dinner guests depending upon the number of guests expected. (It is advisable to have at least one extra table set up near the back of the Hall for late or unexpected guests. Place a reserved sign on the extra table so that it will be used only for overflow when the other tables are full.)
2. Table setting: Cover the rectangular food tables with plastic (or the rectangular white fabric cloths) and arrange straw mats on top of the tables for hot dishes. Cover the rest of the tables with white fabric tablecloths (found on hangers behind the stage door on the right) and do as much of the table/room décor as possible. Salt and pepper shakers, sugar bowls and cream pitchers (to be filled later) can be placed on the table as well as paper napkins and plastic cups for the water.
3. Confirm time for dinner: The chairs need to confirm with the skippers the precise time that the dinner will begin so that the food is ready and does not get cold before the guests have been through the line.
C. PRE-DINNER TASKS
The chairs need to set the time for the committee to arrive in the evening (between 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. depending upon how much there is to do) and the chairs should assign members the following tasks as well as the tasks identified in Section D below:
1. Turn on the coffee maker and prepare at least one pre-measured replacement filter for a second pot in that same canister if a large number of guests is expected. (Coffee instructions are provided with these general instructions. You can also talk with Norma, our kitchen supervisor for assistance.)
2. Fill the second canister with water and turn the canister on a high temperature until water is hot. The hot water in this canister will be used for tea.
3. Turn on one of the ovens to a low warming temperature and the other to 350 degrees for dishes needing a higher temperature. Monitor the dishes placed in each of the ovens.
4. Receive and organize the dishes as they arrive into stations. Do not toss and dress the salads. This is the responsibility of the person who brought the salad.
5. Fill the water pitchers and place one on each of the tables.
6. Fill the cream pitchers which already are on the table.
7. When coffee is done, turn down the heat switch to 7 or 8 and fill the white coffee carafes. Place one carafe on each table.
8. Brew the tea and place the filled carafes on one of the rolling carts near the silverware in the back of the kitchen.
9. Place paper plates, extra napkins, paper cups and plastic eating utensils on the kitchen counter near the telephone for guests who forget to bring their own.
10. Locate the basket for collecting $3.00 from each member.
D. TASKS DURING DINNER
1. Ten minutes before dinner is to begin, set out all casseroles, main dishes, salads, rolls and butter.
2. Hold back several hot dishes so that there will be food for the people who are served last.
3. The committee should eat during the time the guests are going through the buffet line.
4. One or two committee members should offer tea as guests return to their tables.
5. After the committee has finished with dinner, two members need to make the rounds through the hall with water, coffee and tea re-fills. A third member needs to visit each table with the basket set aside for collecting the $3.00 payment owed by each member. (Guests do not pay.)
6. After most of the guests have finished dinner, the back tables should be cleared and the deserts brought out. Coffee and water re-fills also should be made while guests are eating desert.
E. TASKS AFTER DINNER
1. Set out serving dishes on the back table for members to claim; do not wash them.
2. Collect the salt and pepper shakers, sugar bowls and creamers from the back table and return them to the kitchen.
3. Remove decorations, any remaining items, table cloths and sponge off tables.
4. Have the skippers ask shipmates not on the committee to assist with taking down the tables and chairs and putting them away. The round tables should be placed on the carts in the Sunday School area and the rectangular tables and chairs should be returned to the storage bin under the stage.
5. Assign 2 or 3 committee members to launder the tablecloths and dishcloths belonging to the church. Oxy-Magic, Oxy-clean or bleach may be used to remove any stains on the tablecloths. The tablecloths should be dried on the wash and wear cycle until dry. There is no need to iron them but they should be placed on hangers when removed from the drier and, along with any dishcloths belonging to the church, should be returned to church as soon as possible.
6. Rinse the carafes used for tea and coffee and place on one of the rolling carts in the back of the kitchen. Pour out any remaining water from the water pitchers and place the pitchers on a rolling cart as well.
7. Wash any church dishes, plates or bowls which were used for the dinner. Return all clean kitchen items to properly labeled drawers or cabinets, remove any food items brought for the potluck from the refrigerator before leaving, and be sure the kitchen counters and sinks are clean when you leave and the floor has been swept.
8. The chairs should collect calling lists and any expense reports.
9. Final check by chairs: Check to see that the ovens, coffee and water canisters, and furnace have been turned off. Close windows and lock all doors.
