A Missouri farmer and former U.S. deputy secretary of agriculture will be the guest speaker at the annual outreach luncheon of the Central Maryland Fellowship of Christian Farmers Saturday.

Peter C. Myers, president of Adopt a Farm Family of America and a former Missouri state representative, will speak at the luncheon that begins at noon at Wilhelm Ltd. Catering on Route 140 in Westminster.

Singer Michelle Hickling of Norfolk, Va., a soloist on CBN and other Christian TV and radio programs, will provide music.

Wilson Lippy, a Hampstead grain farmer and organizer for the local chapter, said he expects about 600 people.

The chapter has no formal membership or dues but has a mailing list of 580.

Founded in the Midwest in the mid-1980s, the fellowship was a response to the financial crises besetting U.S. farmers.

"There were a lot of suicides there," Lippy said. "There's a lot of struggle and stress in farming. When you have a relationship with Christ, you have inner peace. It just helps in these difficult times," he said.

In the past, the fellowship has sponsored other speakers including former Vice President Dan Quayle.

Adopt a Farm Family of America, which Myers leads with his wife, Mary W. Myers, is a spinoff of the Fellowship of Christian Farmers. The fellowship began it to link farm families in need with those who can provide spiritual or material support, Lippy said.

Tickets for the lunch are $8. A shuttle will transport people who park at the Bare Truck Center.

Pub Date: 3/04/99