Those who have churches with kitchens usually lay the food out on counters with paper plates, napkins and plastic forks and spoons first. Everybody helps themselves. In Brother Hutchinson's church, each family brings a meat, a vegetable and a dessert. Other churches are not so organized, but there's always plenty of food. She usually brings her famous jambalaya, made with squirrel meat or venison.
Many church ladies specialize in a dish.
Dinner on the ground at Spearsville Baptist Church in Spearsville, Louisiana, wasn't complete without Aunt Ethyl Cherry's chocolate pie or her chicken and dumplings. Another woman always took baked beans. These are three traditional dishes. Dinners on the ground are a good place to swap recipes, to impress other members of the congregation with your cooking skill, to introduce new dishes or your innovation on a traditional dish. Some churches have picnic tables set up.