Freedomfest: Enduring Freedom Ministries holds 15th gathering

Sep. 20—SHUMWAY — Bounce houses, balloons, a chili cook-off, Christian music and a petting zoo were only a few of the highlights on Saturday at Enduring Freedom Ministries.

This year was the fifteenth EFM Freedomfest and the ninth held at the old grade school and EFM headquarters in Shumway.

Enduring Freedom Ministries Director Vickie Kight said Freedomfest is incorporating Matthew 25 from the bible all at once.

"We feed the people ... clothe the people and visit the people," Kight said.

"This is all free," she said about Freedomfest. "We do this to give back to the community and to also bring the community together."

She said there is a trough was set up on the grounds for anyone wanting to be baptized during the event.

Kight said they featured a chili cook-off with the top two winners taking home a prize. She said after the cook-off the chili is used to make chilidogs to serve to those attending the Freedomfest celebration.

Three judges — Amber Walls, Tasha Fetters and Ashley Tappendorf — tasted their way to a decision as six cooks offered their best bowl of chili.

"The judges have made a decision," EFM Volunteer Melissa Lagerhausen said to contestants in the cook-off.

Clifford Miller took home the first prize, a VIZIO 40-inch high definition TV. Miller said he has a passion for cooking.

"I like to cook," Miller said. "I cooked a full-bodied chili with diced tomatoes sweet onion and a little jalapeno, a touch of brown sugar to try and mellow it out."

Lagerhausen awarded the second prize, a Vac Mop, to Pat Boggs. Boggs said her chili was not necessarily made according to a fixed recipie.

"I cooked it and my husband Larry chopped the onions and tasted it," Boggs said. "He gave me his approval."

"I really don't have a recipe. I just start throwing things in and basically if it tastes good fine," she said. "I don't measure anything."

She said she tried something a little different for this year's cook-off.

"This year I added a little V-8 tomato spicy hot juice instead of all of the chili powders," Boggs said.

Music provided during the event was a group of Christian music artists named Amplified Truth. The Christian music group featured Christian recording artist Frankie Shayne Pearman of Huchinson, Kansas. The band performed at the first Beecher City Farmers Market on June 3.

Elijah Doty, owner of owner of Doty Sound Productions, donated his services for the EFM Freedomfest mixing live sound for the band Amplified Truth.

Anna Taylor of rural Vandalia brought her Anna Taylor Petting Zoo to EFM for kids visiting the event to enjoy. She also supervised mule rides for older children.

Balloon Artist and Evangelist Virgil Cisney of Greenup created animals out of balloons for children willing to listen to short story from the Bible.

Meanwhile, researchers from Purdue University of West Lafayette, Indiana, representing the Military Family Research Institute, reached out to rural veterans. Representatives from the research study, Jeannette Tarqueno and Jake Newton, were available Saturday to speak with rural Veterans.

The group has been visiting EFM for the past few months recruiting local veterans to participate in their Reaching Rural Veterans (RRV) research. The research group has visited Veterans on the third Wednesday of the month at EFM.

"We do an event with this pantry once a month," U.S. Navy Veteran Chief Petty Officer Jeannette Tarqueno said. "We do research on rural veterans and address food insecurities, housing insecurities and if they are utilizing their medical resources."

Tarqueno said the research is compiled to help rural veterans.

"We will do this event once a month until November," she said. "We also connect with the many community providers who are involved with the food pantry."

"We want to see how we can be of better help to Veterans in rural areas," Tarqueno said.

The research group's next scheduled visit to Enduring Freedom Ministries is Oct. 20.

Enduring Freedom Ministries is located in the old Shumway Grade School close to the intersection of Illinois Route 33 and West Street in Shumway. EFM hosts a soup kitchen in their Five and Two restaurant and a food pantry.

For questions call Enduring Freedom Ministries at 217-240-0059.

Charles Mills can be reached at charles.mills@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 217-347-7151 ext. 126.