Strawberry Festival Ministry

An important ministry of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Youngstown NY is the annual Strawberry Fest, held in late June each year. Reminiscent of an old-fashioned parish picnic of yesteryear, generous portions of homemade strawberry shortcake are given away at no charge, in thanksgiving for all that God has given to St. John’s. Generous parishioners cover the cost of the locally grown berries, whipped cream and baking supplies, enough for 500 servings. Live music, grilled foods prepared by the Youngstown Lions and children’s programming round out the family-friendly event.

Some attendees insist upon “paying” for their shortcake, so a free will offering container is placed inconspicuously away from the serving area. Between these gifts and parishioner support, there is always a surplus after expenses, which is returned to the community. We have been able to support more than 20 different ministries and non-profits to the tune of thousands of dollars each year.

The Strawberry Fest dates backs to World War II, when the church served homemade strawberry ice cream on the church lawn to soldiers training for the war at nearby Fort Niagara. Fort Niagara has long been intertwined with St. John’s – most of the founding members were connected in some way to the fort’s garrison. Going back even further, the first Anglican services in Western New York took place in their chapel in 1759, after Britain took control of the fort from France. Today, Lake Ontario VFW Post 313 is offered display space at the Strawberry Fest, a call back to the days when Fort Niagara was an active military base. We have also hosted service members from neighboring Coast Guard Station Niagara, both at the Strawberry Fest and at Sunday services. The biggest change, however, has been the transformation of what was once a fundraiser to a true ministry, borne of love for each other and gratitude for all that God has done for us.

Submitted by Mary Ellen Aureli, Warden