52nd annual Mt. Hebron UMM BBQ returns this Sat
October 2, 2024
United Methodist Men’s Largest Annual Fundraiser to be Held October 5th!
Mt. Hebron United Methodist Church’s United Methodist Men (UMM) host their fifty-second annual BBQ – the largest–and longest running–annual fundraiser this Saturday, October 5th starting at 8am on the church campus, located at 3050 Leaphart Road in West Columbia.
In 1971, the United Methodist Men of Mt. Hebron United Methodist Church decided to hold a barbecue as a fundraiser to generate money for the church’s building fund. It was held at the Pineview Ruritan Hut and boasted the cooking of ten pigs or approximately 1,300 pounds of pork. The meat was then transported to the church for sale.
This annual fundraiser has evolved into a community event on the Mt. Hebron United Methodist Church campus, and the proceeds are now primarily used for local and state mission projects. Since that first year, over $540,000 has been raised. During the past fifty-one years, over 192,000 pounds of pork and over 16,000 chickens have been barbecued.
Several weeks before the barbecue, preparations begin by assembling volunteer crews and purchasing supplies. In late September, firewood is split and stacked, and the barbecue pit is built in the church’s parking lot. The week of the event, the pit is lit on Thursday night, and cooking begins Friday morning. Church and community volunteers work all day and night on Thursday and Friday to get everything ready to serve on Saturday. A large crew of volunteers assembles in the wee hours of Saturday morning to get all the meat chopped, sauced and packed for sale at 8am.
Last year, approximately 3,700 pounds of ham were cooked along with chickens and racks of baby back ribs. In addition, 175 pounds of rice, 300 pounds of coleslaw, 150 gallons of mustard-based sauce, and over 125 gallons of hash were prepared. Mt. Hebron UMM’s hash is exceptional and contains only ham and beef chuck and is mixed together with the exclusive Mt. Hebron mustard-based sauce.
“The BBQ relies on the entire church body to make it all happen and run like a well-oiled machine,” says Troy Blalock, Mt. Hebron UMC’s UMM president. “There are a couple hundred volunteers working in the background over the course of the three days it takes to prepare for this fundraiser. We are so blessed and grateful to the church for their continued support over the past fifty-two years.”
At 2023’s UMM BBQ, 775 barbecue plates, 1,130 pounds of chopped pork, 1,020 pints of hash, and 350 chicken halves were sold and served to 700 customers in approximately six hours.
Proceeds from the event affords the United Methodist Men to fund various local and state mission projects. Allocations from last year’s event were awarded to United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, Mt. Hebron UMC’s GoForth Ministries’ Food Pantry and Children’s Ministries, Salkehatchie Summer Service, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, take-home snack packs for needy elementary school students and numerous other mission projects totaling over $31,000.
“The most rewarding part of the UMM BBQ is for us to assist in funding mission projects. The United Methodist Church charges us as Methodists to ‘equip and transform people and places for God’s mission,’” states Blalock. “We are fortunate to have the West Columbia community support that affords us to give back generously to the missions that are on our hearts.”
Schedule of Events:
Thursday, October 3rd
9:45pm BBQ Pit Lighting
- Family Life Center Parking Lot
Friday, October 4th
6pm Mt. Hebron United Methodist Church’s Family Fun Night
- Held on the front lawn of the church
- Hot dog and hamburger dinner (donations accepted)
- Live music starting at 6:30pm
Saturday, October 5th
8am Mt. Hebron United Methodist Church’s 52nd Annual United Methodist Men BBQ
- Held in Mt. Hebron UMC’s Family Life Center (entrance located at the doors marked “Church Office”)
- Carry-out orders start at 8am
- BBQ buffet starts at 11am
- United Women in Faith Bake Sale starts at 8am
- Event runs till it is sold out or 2pm
- Cash, check and credit/debit cards accepted
BBQ Menu and Pricing:
Traditional Lexington County Mustard-Based BBQ Pork and Chicken
- Adult Carry-Out Plate $12
- Adult Buffet $13
- Child Carry-Out Plate or Buffet $8
- Bulk Pork Per Pound $12
- Rack of Ribs $22
- Half Chicken $7
- Pint of Hash $6
- Pint of Slaw $3
- Pint of Rice $3
- BBQ Sandwich $6
- Bottle of Sauce $5
Directions to Mt. Hebron United Methodist Church:
- From Columbia, on US 1, turn right on Leaphart Road (Walgreens is on your right), and travel 1.9 miles. You will see the church on the right just past Hebron Drive.
- From Columbia, on US 378, turn left on Hebron Drive (0.7 miles past I-26), and travel 0.6 miles. You will come up to the side of the church from this direction.
- From Lexington, on US 378, turn right on Leaphart Road (0.5 miles past I-20), and travel 1.1 miles. You will see the church on the left across from the intersection of Leaphart Road and Mineral Springs Road.
Parking:
Event and Overflow Parking
- FREE parking is offered in the two church parking lots (on either side of the main building).
- Overflow parking can be accessed in the following areas:
- Mt. Hebron UMC Counseling Center – adjacent to the church (front lawn in front of house)
- Mt. Hebron UMC GoForth Mission House – brick house across from the church (driveway and side yard)
Handicap Parking
- Handicap parking is available in both church parking lots (on either side of the main building).
For more information on the Mt. Hebron United Methodist Men and the UMM BBQ, please visit MtHebronUMC.com/United-Methodist-Men. You can also follow the Mt. Hebron UMM on Facebook at @mthebronumm and access the Facebook event listing through their page.
About Mt. Hebron United Methodist Men BBQ
In 1971, the United Methodist Men of Mt. Hebron United Methodist Church decided to hold a barbecue as a fundraiser to generate money for the church’s building fund. It was held at the Pineview Ruritan Hut and boasted the cooking of ten pigs or approximately 1,300 pounds of pork. The meat was then transported to the church for sale.
This annual fundraiser has evolved into a community event on the Mt. Hebron United Methodist Church campus in West Columbia, and the proceeds are now primarily used for local and state mission projects. Over the past fifty-one years, approximately $540,000 has been raised, and 192,000 pounds of pork and 16,000 chickens have been barbecued.
About the Mt. Hebron United Methodist Church’s United Methodist Men
The Mt. Hebron United Methodist Men are a creative, supportive fellowship of men who seek to know Jesus Christ, to grow spiritually and to seek daily His will. Their primary purpose is to declare the centrality of Christ in the lives of men and in all their relationships. They are involved in many Christian outreach programs such as Habitat for Humanity, Salkehatchie Summer Service, United Methodist Volunteers in Mission and feeding the homeless, to name a few.
Funds generated by the Mt. Hebron United Methodist Men are used for outreach ministries to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, support the ministries sponsored by Mt. Hebron United Methodist Church, financial aid for people in urgent need of help, purchase items or equipment for use by the Mt. Hebron United Methodist Men and Mt. Hebron United Methodist Church and support of the Mt. Hebron United Methodist Men Scholarship Fund for aspiring college students.
