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A Christian women’s group in Boardman is on a roll to satisfy Easter appetites
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
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Belinda Jauregui helps to butter more than 300 rolls of kolachi that members of the Christian Women’s Connection at Simon Road Church of God in Boardman made Tuesday morning. The kolachi are sold to benefit the church, the women’s group and other organizations. There will be another sale from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at the church, 4750 Simon Road.
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
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Dina Reeves measures the right amount of nut mix for the kolachi. The sweet bread rolls made by a church women’s group in Boardman come in four varieties of fillings.
Kolachi project delights buyers, nourishes church
By LINDA M. LINONIS
BOARDMAN
Members of the Christian Women’s Connection at Simon Road Church of God rise to the occasion when it comes to the kolachi project.
Volunteers arrived as early as 1 a.m. Tuesday to start preparations for the sale. They will repeat the process Thursday, when another sale takes place.
Patty Howard, wife of Pastor Eddy Howard, said proceeds from the sale benefit a variety of projects. Some money goes the women’s group for its projects and attendance at a convention. Other funds benefit the church’s ministry and outreach, such as at Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley and Children of Promise in which the church sponsors children in Thailand and the Philippines.
Lucille Brink, a church member for more than 50 years, added that funds also help missions in Haiti and other such work.
Brink said the kolachi project has been ongoing for about 45 years. It was started by the late Ruth Romeo, who hosted the baking project at her home. “We thought making 100 was a lot then,” Brink recalled.
Howard said the volunteers made about 500 kolachi this week.
Brink admitted the economy has taken a slight toll on the sales, which take place at graduation time, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.
“Last Christmas we made 800 kolachi,” she said, but noted they have made as many as 1,300.
Brink said the secret to their success is the recipe. “People tell us all the time it is the best,” she said. “They say it tastes like their grandmothers’."
Brink said the volunteers work in an assembly line to complete the task at hand. One person will mix the eggs and sugar, then another the yeast and milk, then onto the flour mixture and into a big mixer that also kneads the dough. “We used to do it all by hand,” Brink recalled.
The dough raises one time then is separated into 1/2-pound balls and raises again. Then it’s rolled out, the filling added, rolled up and raises again. A lot of ingredients are involved; some 100 pounds of flour yields about 300 kolachi. The cooling process takes the most time, then the rolls are bagged.
“There’s a lot to it, but it’s a lot of fun,” Howard said of the project. “It’s the fellowship that people enjoy.”
Brink said that the core of volunteers are from the church but one woman from the community comes to help. “That is such a blessing,” Howard said of the volunteers’ effort.
“We complain a little, but we like the fellowship,” Brink added. After kolachi-making, the volunteers enjoy a nice meal.