POWELL BUTTE — More than one family started their morning off at 7 a.m. with fresh coffee in preparation for the 77th annual Lord’s Acre Day.

Visitors from around Central Oregon set up camp Saturday in what would become a line of over a thousand people waiting for Powell Butte Christian Church’s famous barbecue lunch. Nearby, sides of beef, lamb and pork had been smoking in underground barbecue pits since the day before alongside buckets of potatoes and trays of beans.

Meanwhile, three generations of the Penhollow family studiously worked to prepare the rest of the day’s activities. By the end of the day, there would be an auction, a 10K race, and thousands of pieces of pie eaten by the slice.

The Penhollows have been at the center of Lord’s Acre Day since 1947, when the first minister of the church, D.L. “Penny” Penhollow, initiated the fundraiser to help build a new Powell Butte Christian Church.

“They had at the time two grade schools that the county had given them, but they were outgrowing them, so they wanted to build a new facility,” said Clay Penhollow, 65. “(My grandfather) saw in a southern magazine where some of the Black churches had a program called Lord’s Acre and it was designed so that people could give an acre’s worth of their produce (to the church).”

The first year, Lord’s Acre Day raised $6,000 for the new church. Today, the event brings in $100,000 in revenue, Penhollow told the Bulletin.

The money is used now for major maintenance projects and the church’s mission work, supporting organizations such as Grace Networks International, Pregnancy Resource Centers of Central Oregon and KingdomWork Ministries International.

For people like Barbara Martin, 88, and her daughter Nancy Blankinship, 60, where the money goes is nearly as important as gathering with beloved community members only seen but once a year.

“It’s great. It’s kind of like coming home. You’re getting to support great causes and see great people. There’s something special about it,” said Blankinship, who has been to Lord’s Acre Day nearly every year since the 7th grade.

Shortly after 11 a.m., an announcement came over the loudspeaker: the barbecue pits were about to be uncovered. The news coaxed a few people out from the line toward a patch of dirt surrounded by a group of burly men with shovels. Duane Schiedler sidled over to the pits to record the process on his phone for his wife, who was saving their spot in line.

“I think they have them here because the prevailing wind is that way,” he said, gesturing toward the serving line. “The smell gets everybody hungry.”

Schiedler and his wife stumbled upon Lord’s Acre Day over 30 years ago and have been coming almost every year since. This is the first year they have been since the pandemic though, Schiedler said. But it was important for them to keep the tradition alive.

“Whether you’re religious or not, it’s just a wonderful example of the way society should get along,” Schiedler said.

As Schiedler returned to his wife in line, Joe Zimmerman, 34, helped a group of men deliver the cooked meats to the serving tables. His mother was a Penhollow and his daughters are the great-great grandchildren of D.L. “Penny” Penhollow.

“My job here is I’m a runner for the lines,” Zimmerman said. “Whatever they need, they tell me… I started on the milk line and then everyone wants to graduate to carrying meat. Then, when you get older, you want to go be a carver. I’m not quite to (being) a carver yet.”

The line moved slowly but steadily and it was nearly an hour before everyone had their food. As people ate, they gathered at long, standing tables set up in the church parking lot. Those who couldn’t finish their plate, run to grab tin foil to bring it home for later.

Satiated, the crowd mingled with long-time friends and newcomers alike. Most people held a slice of pie. Starting Sunday, the Penhollows will set their sights on next year’s Lord’s Acre Day.

“If you missed it this year, we’re always here the first Saturday of November, so come back next year,” said Clay Penhollow.