File:1968 - St Peter's Lutheran Church Molkte Township newspaper article about 25th pancake breakfast.jpg

St. Peter’s homemade brats and buttermilk pancakes have attracted the hungry for 25 years.

The doors open to the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church basement in Moltke Township. Hungry people begin to crowd in -- looking for those great buttermilk pancakes and homemade bratwurst they have been eating the last Sunday in January for 25 years.

As they are escorted to their tables, they may notice that everyone is busy -- not just the members of the Men’s Club, but their spouses and children -- the young and the old -- male and female.

They may also notice, as they are seated at their table -- that there are pig decorations at every table -- there are a lot of pork producer in Moltke Township.

The next thing they will remark on is the delicious, tender pancakes and the tasty brats, served with applesauce, cheese (also a lot of dairy farmers in Moltke Township), homemade cookies and beverages.

There are usually about 800 people served from noon to 8:00 p.m. However, this year because of the weather, there were about 600 served. It is an all-you-can-eat feast with a free will offering. “People are very generous,” said club member Elton Vorwerk.

Vorwerk has been a member since the club’s beginnings and he is responsible for making the bratwurst in his state licensed butcher shop. The brats were made the Thursday before the dinner with the help of two other members. They save the bones and cook them with sauerkraut for a big sauerkraut feed with mashed potatoes and dessert at the Vorwerk home for the whole club.

There are just over 20 members in the club. They began in 1961 butchering one hog and feeding 200 people. It has grown over the years. “We do it all for fun,” said Vorwerk, “But we are all getting older -- 25 years is a long time.”

After the diner, they spend some time cleaning up and return to church the next day to finish the job. The women are taken out for supper to thank them for helping with the dinner each year.

They have always sued a pancake mix for their cakes, but they add a few extra ingredients to make them special. The club owns the three grills the members cook the cakes on.

There is a real system -- some members escort the diners to the tables, some deliver the plates of cake s and brats, some bring seconds and thirds until everyone is full.

When everyone has eaten as much as they want and had as many cups of coffee as they want, the young people take over, clearing the tables and resetting them while other members scrape the dishes and others wash the dishes and dry them for the next round of eaters.

They cook the brats in a room off the kitchen and keep them warm in a roaster next to the cakes.

By the time the day is over, the people are exhausted -- but feel good about their efforts.

The club uses the money it makes to support different missions and Mayer Lutheran High School. They also help sponsor a float at the Rose Bowl Parade and give money for scholarships for full time church workers. They have a family night each year for the congregation.

The Lutheran Laymen's League Men’s Club meets once a month and elect new officers each years. This year Richard Bentz is president. Mark Schallhorn is vice-president, Walter Lehrke treasurer, and Roland Panning secretary.

source:Myrtle Jaus Meyer collection.