Growing up in the Catholic church, I took it as an article of faith that we did the best fish fries. Yeah, fire halls and borough council candidates would also put on the fundraisers, but it was a pretty sure bet that whoever was working the fryers learned their skills at St. Somebody or Our Lady of Someplace.

So, admittedly, I approached my lunchtime at Christ United Methodist Church with just a little tinge of smugness. I mean, this John Wesley dude came on the scene in the 1700s, and religious scholars believe the Council of Nicea, back in the fourth century, started out as a fish fry.

One ecumenical difference: You can get chicken fingers here. Apparently, Methodists don’t carry around the meat-on-Fridays guilt that was instilled in many of us RCs. On Friday poker nights we get pizza, and during Lent we always have to get one “Catholic pie” to prevent my friend Russ’s sainted mother from turning over in her grave.

Everything else on the menu is pretty standard, fish baked or fried, with or without a bun, boom-boom shrimp and hold on … boom-boom shrimp tacos. Maybe these Methodists are onto something.

The side dishes are also pretty solid: fresh-cut fries, mac and cheese, haluski and coleslaw. It was here that I ran into a slight snag. You get two sides, and one of them has to be coleslaw. Now, I include coleslaw (the creamy kind) on a list of foods I will not eat. (You can get the complete list at mjantz@mtlebanon.org, #Common Sense Guidelines).

I asked the lady who was taking the orders and collecting the money if it would be OK if I got extra fries in place of the slaw. She said, “Can I be honest? No.”

That said, she did write “no cole slaw” on my slip and we both hoped for the best. And behold, in the spirit of tolerance, my fried fish (no bun) came with a double order of fries! Not only that, but it came out super fast. I was order 28, and by the time I made it back from a quick trip to the condiments table, orders 29, 30 and 31 were served and 32 and 33 were coming in hot.

The fish was big enough to eclipse a bun, if one was involved, and the fries were fresh and hot.

Speaking of Table 31, it was the scene of an impromptu birthday celebration. Happy Birthday, Gordon!

Gordon Jungquist and his wife, Diane, are longtime regulars at the fries. Fun fact: This was Diane’s first time on the receiving end.

“I’m usually working behind the counter,” she said, but seeing as this was Gordon’s special day, she decided to take a break and sample the goods.

“This is the best fish fry around,” she said.

That’s a matter of opinion, but take it from a longtime fish fry gourmand: These Methodists are getting it done.

The Christ United Methodist fish fry is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and for dinner from 4 to 7 p.m., Fridays through March 27. christumc.net/fishfry.