Since 1981, First Presbyterian Church has hosted an annual Christmas Eve dinner for the lonely, poor and/or homeless of Richmond.  Inspired by Rev. Bill Young’s Advent sermons praising Peter Marshall’s similar ministry to the homeless of Washington, D.C., Richmond’s effort has been from the beginning, a ministry of the entire congregation. 

Originally, the dinner was called the Peter Marshal Dinner, however, recently, the dinner was renamed to be the Marshall-Moretz Dinner in honor of Ginny Moretz who for so many years tirelessly worked to make this event a great success.

Congregational care consists of contributed baked goods, transportation, meal preparation, entertainment, children’s gifts, ham, turkeys and clean-up after the meal.

Guests include those in the community whose opportunities for fellowship at Christmas are few.  These “honorees” have grown in number from 40-50 in the first few years to more than 100.

Many of the guests have found a Christmas Eve home at the Marshall-Moretz Dinner every year since it began.  Others have only been passing through Richmond and have been lead through outreach to the community that is First Presbyterian Church for the warmth and fellowship of a Christmas Eve meal.

Congregational support and commitment have also grown over the years.  Dinner hosts and their children and families have discovered again each year the special meaning of Christmas through the Marshall-Moretz Dinner.  For those who have helped as a driver picking up guests, a dinner server, a cook, or if you have sung in a chorus, decorated or cleaned up once or every Christmas Eve, the Marshall-Moretz dinner is a special tradition.