German Dinner raises money for children in India

Saturday night (Jan. 21) at First Lutheran Church in Fort Smith saw an estimated 350 people enjoy a German dinner prepared by members of the church.

It was the seventh annual dinner with a menu of beef rouladen (see recipe below), red cabbage, German sweet and sour green beans, skillet fried potatoes, cucumbers in sour cream, fresh apple cake and rolls.

First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Fort Smith is the oldest Lutheran Church in Arkansas. It began in 1843, when six families from Germany immigrated to this country and settled 12 miles south of Fort Smith, in Long Prairie.

In 1861, during the Civil War, these families fled to Fort Smith for protection from the Confederate army post. On June 7, 1868, the present congregation, “The First Evangelical Lutheran Church,” was organized. In 1896, plans began to build a modern church edifice. The cornerstone of the present church was laid on October 12, 1902, and the building was dedicated on May 15, 1904.

All proceeds from the German Dinner go to Bethania Ministries located in the states of Tamil Nadu and Andra Pradesh in southeastern India. Care the ministries provide includes:
• Nourishing homes for orphans in Bethania Kids Homes;
• Care for children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities in nonresidential and residential Bethania Rehabilitation Centers for the Disabled; and,
• Immunizations, basic care, & education through daycare and after-school care for impoverished children in Bethania Kids Centers.

The recipe for Beef Rouladen:
4 thin beef steaks (1/8 inch thick, from end of sirloin tip roast
salt, pepper, prepared mustard
Knorr Brown Gravy Mix (red)
sour cream
4 slices bacon
4 pickle spears (Polish dills are best)
1 onion, diced
oil (to brown the meat)
about 3 or 4 cups water
Beat steaks slightly; salt, pepper and season to taste. Spread thinly with mustard. Cover with diced onion, pickle and bacon. Roll up and secure with toothpick. Lightly flour rolls. Heat oil; brown rouladen on all sides. Add about 2 cups water. Bring to boil; reduce to simmer. Add the rest of the water and simmer for 1¼ hours.
Take out the rouladen and make the gravy:
Dissolve ½ package Knorr brown gravy mix and 1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch in some cold water. Add 3 tablespoons sour cream ; stir into roulade drippings with wire whisk; mix well. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary.