More Than Coffee and Doughnuts

 

One of my favorite times of the week is the fellowship half-hour between services on Sunday. I like to get back to the fellowship hall in time to finish my coffee, but I also want to take my time and talk to people along the way. It’s a great time to really look at people as you pass, ask them how they’re doing, and take time to listen.

Once you get to the large room with coffee and doughnuts, listening is going to be hard. There is a variety of ages and even languages to enjoy. There is lots of conversation, laughter, and music, but that’s ok because it’s a joy to watch folks interacting with each other and to hear little snippets of talk: Well, here you are . . . That was beautiful! . . . How have you been? . . . I’ll just have one doughnut.

These are not monumental conversations, but they are meaningful just the same because they allow us to share moments of our lives with others. A smile or a pat on the back can sometimes communicate care and concern as well as an extended conversation.

I love to watch the children sitting together sharing secrets or hiding under the table munching snacks. They are learning that church is a warm and friendly place and that the people there love them.

I am so grateful our staff developed this plan for Sundays. I know it’s a lot of work for several people. I see them week after week, picking up and sorting things out, but they are helping to make possible the admonition found in scripture to “exhort one another” (Hebrews 3:13), to “comfort each other and edify one another” (I Thess. 5:11).

Certainly we carry out these admonitions in other ways as well. I hope you are involved with a small group and that you take the opportunity to connect with a class during the discipleship hour. Over the years, some of my best church relationships have been forged in these kinds of groups, and I love bonding over God’s deep truths.

The fellowship time is a way to get to know different people or to reconnect with longtime friends. So if you aren’t in the habit of moseying back to the fellowship hall, give it a try. If you make it a point to show up every Sunday, you already know--It’s more than coffee and doughnuts.

--Sherry Poff