The Washington Street Diner has been a part of Athens, Alabama’s downtown commerce for many years, but ownership and operation has more recently been transferred to Friendship Church.

Friendship’s mission for the Diner is to provide the community with a place to enjoy a made-to-order Southern breakfast and great fellowship with neighbors, while providing food service training to the short term employees. Some of the Diner’s employees are short term because once they have completed their training, they find permanent employment in the food service industry using their newfound skills. Then another person steps in to begin the training process, and the cycle continues. One of the goals of the church is to help people in the community overcome generational poverty through education and job training, implementing that old adage that states: “Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime.”

Through the Diner, the community of Athens/Limestone County is helping to give folks a second chance at life, allowing them the opportunity to gain a skill that will help them to take care of themselves and their families. This is the love of Christ, this is the hands and feet of Jesus at work.