Pie and People

Rev. Jaimie Alexander Builds Community Through Baking Classes
By Phoebe Warren

photo by shane darby

The sense of smell is intricately connected to our memories, perhaps more than any other sense. For Rev. Jaimie Alexander, the senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in downtown Texarkana, the smell of a pie baking whisks him back to his childhood, a time he fondly remembers watching his grandmother create the most delicious pies imaginable. 

Growing up in Heber Springs, Arkansas, Jaimie smelled pies being made in Alexander’s Restaurant, the cafe his grandparents owned. His father took over after his grandfather passed away, but his grandmother, Evelyn Alexander, continued to bake pies at home until she physically couldn’t anymore. 

submitted photos

“She took pies to people all the time, and that was just a part of her world,” Jaimie said. “So that’s always been a part of my world.” 

As Evelyn aged, her grandson observed a charming habit of her pie-making: she would always carve out a slice from the pie she baked for others, saving it for herself. With a chuckle, Jaimie remembered his grandmother’s words: “They don’t care if I take a piece out. I want a piece, too!’” 

With a solid culinary foundation, Jaimie went on to become a church cook. As a devoted member of the United Methodist Church, he felt a divine calling towards ministry and pursued his studies at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. In 1991, he was appointed as a pastor for his first church. It was an easy decision to move to Texarkana in 2017, where several of his family members lived.

Top to bottom: Attendees showing off thier pie crusts. Jaimie demonstrating his skills for tiffany wilson. Genie Knox and Rochelle Gray at one of jaimie’s classes. Submitted photos

Despite Jaimie’s active participation in his church and the wider Texarkana community, he always carves out time to bake pies. For Jaimie, pie-making transcends mere pastime; it embodies a profound metaphor for life, encased in a rich, flaky crust. 

“So I have all these rolling pins,” he said. “Not one of those rolling pins is alike, but they all have the same purpose: to roll dough. That’s how we are as a body of Christ. We have our similarities. We’re all a little bit different. But, we all have the same purpose, and that’s to worship and praise Jesus and be a part of the body of Christ.” 

Pie-making became a refuge for Jaimie during a particularly challenging period in his life. Last August, he experienced the unexpected death of his brother due to a violent crime. At the same time, he was caring for his father, whose health was steadily declining. By December, his father’s needs demanded all the attention Jaimie could provide, preventing him from beginning Bible study classes at his church, which were in high demand. However, several people in the church had also been asking Jaimie to teach them how to make pie crust, and that’s when the dough started rolling.

jaimie’s collection of rolling pins. submitted photo

“I thought, you know, I can do some pie crust classes, because that’s easy,” Jaimie said. “And I’ve taught things before, so I just put it out there. Well, all of a sudden, I had more people than I could really manage, and people from out in Texarkana wanted to take classes. The oldest person that took a pie-making class was 96, turning 97 in a few weeks. She jokingly said that when she got to the pearly gates and Saint Peter asked her if she could make a pie crust so she could get to Heaven, she wanted to be able to say yes.” 

Jaimie’s pie crust class now brings together participants ranging in age from their early 20s to late 90s. They’ve affectionately been named The Holy Rollers after a humorous Facebook comment from one of Jaimie’s friends. Though he is also open to sharing some of his filling recipes, Jaimie said that the main goal of the classes is to help students master the technique of making the perfect pie crust, which participants can then take home to complete their pies and share with others at their own tables.

Jaimie provides most of the materials needed in the class, including rolling pins from his extensive collection, each with its own special story attached. The tiniest rolling pin in the mix is the one his grandmother used. Attendees only need to bring an apron, a pie plate, and their eagerness to learn. Those taking a class from Rev. Jaimie Alexander will learn not only how to make the perfect pie crust, but also how to bring people together.