Sunday between the 9:00 and 11:00 AM services (or after a 10:00 AM service) people of all ages gather in Fletcher Hall to connect with each other over refreshments, around information and sign-up tables, and among old and new friends. With the goal of strengthening Coffee Hour’s role in the life of our congregation, Deb Ellis and Connie Thames convened a group that included Reverend Anya, Peter Arian, Sandra Boone, Jerry Fried, Susan Raufer, Maria Schembari, Hal Strelnick, and Chelsea Vaughn Showalter.
In our discussions, we decided that Coffee Hour needed a new name, an explicit mission, logistical simplification, recognition for its volunteer hosts, and physical and symbolic support from our co-ministers. We have renamed our gathering the Connection Café and agreed that its mission is to be “where we gather to serve one another, nourish bodies and souls, connect to congregational life, and build the Beloved Community.”
Beginning Sunday, April 22, 2018, Connection Cafe will be under new management, led by a Connection Café Coordinating Team (so far Sandra Boone, Nicole Gray, and John Lytle; we are looking for another coordinator or two!). You may find all or part of the co-ministers’ receiving line in Fletcher Hall. You may sponsor Connection Café in honor of someone or a special occasion. You may learn who is hosting Connection Café in the Order of Service. You may volunteer yourself or your Covenant Group to host through SignupGenius (http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0b45abae22aa8-coffee), and mentors will be available to help anyone who has not hosted before.
Please join us in strengthening the bonds and connections that build the Beloved Community right here, right now.