HOPE — At lunchtime every Wednesday during Lent, Christians from various denominations gather at Our Lady of Good Hope Church in Hope for physical and spiritual food.
The ecumenical meeting is called Soup and Sermon, and the Catholic church has hosted it for several years. Sponsored by the Hope and Hempstead County Ministerial Alliance, the unusual Lenten activity gives Baptists, Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists and people from other denominations a chance to fellowship with each other over a bowl of homemade soup and cornbread.
A different church provides the food each time and the spiritual nourishment is provided by a different minister at each Lenten lunch.
The Rev. Clif Johnson of Garrett Memorial Baptist Church spoke at the first Soup and Sermon lunch for 2010. On that Wednesday, every table in Our Lady of Good Hope’s huge parish hall was filled. Good Hope member Shirley McRoy noted that an additional table had to be set up to accommodate the crowd. As Christians gathered, Father Kevin Atunzu, host pastor, walked among them with a smile and a handshake. Later he commented, “This is a very good thing. It brings all the community together.”
In earlier years, the Lenten lunches were hosted by different churches, but several years ago everyone agreed that Our Lady of Good Hope was the best place for the popular event. Elaine Douglas of First Presbyterian Church said, “It is so much better at Our Lady of Good Hope, as they have the space, the tables and a large kitchen.”
She added, “It’s wonderful fellowship.”
At the first lunch of the Lenten season, parishioners Darlene Courtney, Thana Shoen and Dru Hoover quietly and efficiently aided the Baptist cooks in serving the large crowd.
Parishioner Aurelia Burke said the Lenten Soup and Sermon community fellowship is one of her favorite ways the church ministers to the community. She observed that the ecumenical event has provided opportunities for others in Hope to learn more about the Catholic faith. Although the lunch takes place in the parish hall, many visitors aren’t satisfied to see merely the hall.
“I can’t begin to tell you how many people ask to go into our church,” Burke said. “There are so many people who have never been in a Catholic church. It’s amazing.”
Burke and other parishioners are glad to take visitors into their church.
“One of the unique things about our church is the crucifix,” she said. “It’s very big. It’s the focus, the first thing you see. They look at that. They don’t drop to their knees, but you can see by their manner that they recognize this is a holy and sacred place. Even though they’ll be talking when they go in, they get very quiet. We show them various things at the altar. To me, this is bringing the good news to other people — not by preaching to them but just by being yourself and being friendly and showing them and letting them experience it.”
The friendly atmosphere at Our Lady of Good Hope at the Soup and Sermon Lenten lunches is proof that the church knows how to show gracious hospitality to the community. And for Father Atunzu, the lunches serve another purpose as well. He said with a big smile, “It brings people back to the Mother Church.”
