Middleton Police Chief Charles Foulke said he did not see the shoving incident but said the event went well overall.

Sophomore Jarrett Horst, 16, stood with a couple of friends near the back of a counter-protest. A self-identifying Christian and member of Blackhawk Church, Horst said he regularly attends the luncheon and views it as a chance to relax, enjoy a nice meal and hear an uplifting message.

Horst and other regulars at Jesus Lunch agreed with protesters that the meal has become a divisive topic at school, but he disputed the notion that proselytizing is a primary goal of the luncheon.

“They only teach a passage about God for about five minutes and we just go back to eating,” Horst said. “I don’t see anything wrong with it. They allow anybody to come. Anybody can just come here and eat food. You don’t have to learn about the Bible. Obviously, this is getting kind of out of hand.”

Junior Camilla Vellon, 17, said she wasn’t initially alarmed by Jesus Lunch because it started as a group of children and their own parents. The growth of the free lunch changed her mind and on Tuesday, Vellon was excused by her mother to attend the protest during both lunch periods.