Christianity Today has a chilling article about state regulation of church potlucks. Here’s a little blurb
U.S. churches are facing more and more legal hurdles to holding potlucks.
In Minnesota, potlucks are exempt from food safety inspections only if food is not prepared in the kitchen. In Wisconsin, a church that holds more than 12 public food events a year may be required to obtain a restaurant license.
Indiana inadvertently banned potlucks this year when a 2001 law took effect requiring nonprofit groups to hire certified food handlers.
Similar legislation in Illinois was met with widespread protest from churches. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich eventually signed a new law exempting all potluck dinners from state and local health regulations, saying that potlucks "are a long-standing tradition that do not warrant government intrusion."
But many states, as they pass broader food safety laws and regulations, unintentionally sweep up the humble church potluck in the dragnet.
I’d say read the rest but then you might not come to the next potluck.