Wednesday, 14 November 2012

Supper to celebrate Forgiveness


Serpentine lines crawled across the three sides of the  giant gymnasium. It looked from a distance as though  the entire hall was filled with snakes heading nowhere. Yes  we are  referring to the huge  turnout  of participants  who set the world record  for the Largest pot luck supper .They had assembled  for  dinner.  140 members at  Elmbrook Church  in Brookfield gathered to celebrate its past and commit itself to another year of ministry before the start of the Easter season.
The food  had all the varieties to make a good supper. The tables were filled with tuna casseroles and lasagnas. And to top it all the menu also had veggie roll ups, meat balls. The list goes on still so hold your taste buds.  They also had some mouth watering  salad, cookie and cakes .   The potluck and service were part of Elmbrook's annual meeting. Both the potluck and evening service included nods to traditions - of the old world and new - a concept not always associated with nondenominational churches. Elmbrook Church which was in its 52nd year of ministry  were doing this all for a valid purpose. As Rev Scott Arbeiter one of the lead pastors of the church  expressed   that one needs to grieve over the sins committed at the same time rejoice over forgiveness. Celebration could just get more better when one shares a feast as a group. That catapults more spirit and enthusiasm in the celebration.
 At the service, members drew on the Hebrew tradition of Kriah - the rending of one's garments in grief - each tearing a small piece of muslin to express their sorrow over their sins. The potluck tradition is considerably more modern, traced, some believe, to the New England colonies and American frontier where families traveled long distances for church and spread their picnic meals on the grounds between morning and evening services. The Pot Luck was a wonderful symbol of religious community. Everyone brings what he or she can  and share that with the people around you. This reminded us of the early Christians about the way they lived their lives sharing everything with one another.
The  Largest Pot Luck Supper was set by 140 members  at ElmBrook Church  in Brookfield, Wisconsin, United States of America on February 18,2010.



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