As he ate, the man looked down watching his food but smiling at others as they spoke to him.

“It’s nice of them to do this in hard times,” said Robert Summerlin as he ate a hot holiday meal of turkey and ham at Christ Temple Holiness Church in Rome on New Year’s Day.

Summerlin often partakes in the free meals provided by area churches during the week and was especially pleased for someone to reach out to himself, and others in need, on Friday.

As he prepared to leave a volunteer called out to him asking if he took any food home.

He turned and said he didn’t realize he could take anything home, but eventually left the church with two loaves of bread giving volunteers a whole-hearted thank you.

“Our motto is reaching out beyond these walls,” Bishop Nealon Guthrie said. “Too many churches sit behind their stained glass windows and we want to reach out.”

The congregation wanted to serve the population on a day not normally reserved for free lunches and holiday meals, Guthrie said. So they devised the New Year’s meal for a spiritual boost for anyone who wished to attend.

Among the visitors, many know Guthrie on sight having attended previous meals.

A man stepped directly up to the pastor telling him “I remember you from last year” and remembering the good luck gold dollar he got at the beginning of 2009 asked if he would be lucky for 2010.

Shortly thereafter, Guthrie produced a gold dollar coin — the first 50 people 62 or older were presented with the coin as a symbol of good luck and prosperity in the new year — and handed it to James Hardin, the aforementioned visitor.

“A lot of people are spiritually depressed — addicted to alcohol and drugs and with just a low self-esteem,” Guthrie said. “Just because someone is homeless or don’t have a job, doesn’t mean they can’t have esteem in themselves.”

Alecia Cammon and other members of area churches brought their families to partake in the meal and to meet their fellow Romans.

“I believe in family unity and whatever I do I bring my family,” Cammon said. “It’s a good thing to do New Year’s Day, and it’s good food too.”

A church service of music, prayer and fellowship followed the meal and Guthrie hopes the fellowship doesn’t end at the beginning of this year. The church plans to conduct a follow-up to provide those in need with, in his words, a non-denominational spiritual boost.

Several merchants, including Kroger, Panera Bread Co., Huddle House, Ryan’s Steak House, M&J Cooking and Santa Fe Cattle Co. donated food in order to feed visitors at the church on New Year’s Day.