Shared Meal

One of the unique demonstrations of our local church culture is the Sunday Shared Meal. Every Sunday we all bring a dish to share with the body and enjoy an afternoon of food and fellowship with each other. In a way, it is an extension of our Sunday morning service that overflows into the afternoon, and fills out the Lord’s day with prayer, worship, preaching the Word, and fellowship one with another.

In June through September, our Shared Meal turns into a Shared Picnic, where everyone brings their own lawn chairs, blankets, a picnic lunch for their own family, and enjoy the summer afternoons outside while we visit, play volleyball or ultimate frisbee, and encourage each other in our walk with Christ.

Below are the church guidelines to help members and visitors know what the best way is to participate in the Shared Meal. If you have any questions or comments, please contact one of the deacons.

“Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.” Acts 2:46-47

As we return to crock pots and casseroles, please take advantage of opportunities to encourage others by sharing what Christ is doing in your life while seeking to understand how you can serve their needs in a God-honoring manner. It is through this perspective that the Love of Christ is demonstrated from one to another.

Regular Attenders:

Please bring a main dish, a side dish, and a dessert; enough to feed your own family plus a few more. This way we’re assured to have enough to not only feed ourselves, but the guests God brings our way! Singles need only to bring one dish to share.

Preparations Suggestion: To ease the pressure of Sunday morning, many have found it helpful to prepare food on Saturday, or to double Friday’s family meal and cook (or reheat) that for Sunday. Please ask around for more helpful tips; our body has much experience in this area.

First Time Visitors: Please be our guests! We always have more than enough to share.

When You Arrive:

You’re responsible to make sure your food gets put where it belongs (i.e. crock pot, cooking/warming oven, or refrigerator.) A freezer is also available. After you have taken care of your food, please place your (labeled) box in the hall or otherwise out of the way.

Cooking Times: When planning cook times, keep in mind that there are potentially 2 hours for your dish to be in the oven or for your crock pot to be on. Please avoid having to leave the service to tend to your dish; bring food “ready to eat” as much as possible. But if you need to assemble or otherwise tend to your dish before serving time, please do so as we don’t have “staff” during the service to do it for you. If there are specific serving instructions, please use a post-it note or otherwise mark it. (i.e. “stir before serving, serve with ketchup, sour cream, cheese I brought, etc.”). If your dish is hot when you arrive, make sure that it stays hot in the warming or cooking oven. Please don’t leave hot foods sitting on the counter to cool for two hours. We have limited oven space and we recommend using a crock pot whenever possible.

Dishes containing dairy products MUST remain refrigerated until they are ready to be served.

After The Morning Service: the food will be placed on the tables by the kitchen team, which includes all ladies that are on the Setup and Clean-up teams for that day.

After Our Meal

When you’re finished eating and are planning to move to another activity, please make sure that your table and floor area is clean before you leave.

Please gather all of your dishes and belongings and take them out to your car so that gym games and cleanup can proceed unhindered.

If your children want to play outside or in another part of the building, move your socializing along with them. Stay close. You are responsible for their safety at all times.

Please Remember:

• Utensils, plates and cups are provided for your convenience.
• Label whatever you bring with your name and clear serving instructions.
• Ranch dressing, butter, ketchup and mustard are provided.
• Hot things must stay hot AND cold things must stay cold!
• You are encouraged to share your meal time with new and different people each week.

Set Up & Clean Up:

Teams responsible for Set-up and Clean-up are on a rotating schedule. Every regularly attending family is asked to be on the schedule. To add your name to the rotation, please let a deacon know.

No matter who is on duty each week, everyone is asked to help, making clean-up go more smoothly and quickly. “Many hands make light work.” If we all share in the work, we can truly “take our meals together with gladness.”

Shared Meal Etiquette:

• After prayer, guests and those with young children, please dish up first.
• Enjoy the fellowship as you wait in line.
• Please go through the serving line together as families. To facilitate age-integrated conversation, please sit together across from another family.
• Please monitor children who may wish to take more than they can finish. Serving trays are available for adults to manage multiple plates for their young ones.
• All of us should moderate our portions so as not to be overfilled while others are left hungry.
• To help make serving food expedient for all, we have two lines. Be courteous and go through one line, and avoid the temptation to hop back and forth, gleaning from both lines.

For more information, please contact one of the deacons.