Merging is a New Journey - Happy Thoughts Part 4 (Souper Sunday!)

It's cold today.  And all during church yesterday so many different thoughts about today's blog entry went through my head.  But it was really cold today and it made me think, what is better on a cold day than a nice bowl of soup?  Which then got me remembering Souper Sunday.

Probably one of the last Souper Sunday Spreads

So, what is Souper Sunday?

For us, it was the first day of Sunday School after the summer break, typically the second Sunday of September.  Teachers and students were in early for their first day.  We would have worship service.  And then, as Methodists do, after service we would eat.  Oh, yes.  And for those who didn't like to come to service at 9:30am as we had been doing all summer, this was the day we went back to 11am service (Sunday School was at 9:30am).

We would have homemade soups, sandwiches (cut in halves or quarters), the best punch ever, and to end the meal, make-your-own sundaes.

It was a great time of fellowship.  Of course, good food.  And just a really fun day all around.

Over time, as with everything it seems, it got harder and harder to get kids (of any age) in Sunday School, volunteers to make soup, sandwiches, or pick up the sundae supplies from Stewart's.  So we had to ask ourselves, "Why are we doing this?"  Was it tradition?  Why had we always done it that way?  Had it lost its meaning?

As someone who participated first as a student returning to Sunday School, later as a teacher of Sunday School, and even as a congregation member, I obviously did have great times having this food after the worship service.  (Favorites being ANYONE who made an egg salad sandwich!)  So even though there were times we struggled to get help with the planning and the event itself (speaking as a former Worship chairperson who had to do the planning), I have more happy memories of this time than sad ones.

A good memory and a good event that eventually went away as things got smaller...but a memory I haven't thought about in a long time.  So I'm happy to have reflected on it today.