Holy Conversation Meal Planning

First of all, a quick summary of the meals:

Friday evening after the speakers - wine and finger foods (cheese and crackers, hummus, fruit...)

Saturday morning 

- Breakfast (quiche, fruit, sweet breads (banana, pumpkin))

- Lunch (sandwich tray, salad fixins, fruit, veggies and hummus, pickle tray, cheese and crackers, etc.)

I'm going to list the items that us HROCers are going to provide for the meals, along with commitments I've gotten from some of you so far.  Please write back with any preferences you have for what you will bring.

Hummus - Faith

Sweet breads - Marjorie, Mary, Vera

Fruit (washed and prepped - ready to be served) Marjorie, Christy, Geanas, Faith 

Vegetables - lettuce, sliced tomatoes, baby carrots, grape tomatoes, cuke slices (washed and ready to serve) - Cindy is bringing the carrots and grape tomatoes, Oksana- lettuce, sliced tom, cukes

Pickle and olive tray (ready to serve) - Laura 

HROC Coffee Hour Past and Future

Several of us HROCers have been having conversations recently about our Coffee Hour, and have come up with some ideas to try to keep what is good about our after-Liturgy meals, but reduce some of the negatives. I wanted to share with you our thoughts and plans. (Note: this is only about the meals after Divine Liturgy on Sundays.)

What is good about our Coffee Hour. As most of you know, our after-Liturgy meal evolved over time from bagels and coffee to the more complete meal it is now, with hot foods through desserts. This is wonderful because it allows us to have leisurely fellowship time together rather than feeling the need to hurry along to get a more hearty meal after our morning of fasting. Also, the families who provide the meals generally enjoy being creative with the meal planning and view the time and resources they spend as a gift to the parishioners.

What is not so good. Because there are no strict guidelines about our coffee hours, some families are unsure about what or how much to prepare. This can lead to stress. Additionally, the large quantity of food that has now become the norm results in a significant expense. From casual conversations, it appears that each family on a team spends at least $50 to $80 for an average coffee hour. Another issue is the fact that despite the efforts of the team to provide plentiful food, the people who come to the table last (usually because they were finishing duties upstairs) often have little left to choose from. Lastly, our coffee hour meals are not completely in line with the normal fasting/feasting schedule of the church. Each one is often such a feast that our actual feast day meals pale in comparison!

Our Goals. With these things in mind, here are the goals we are working toward.

1. Create guidelines for the type and quantity of food for the different seasons of the church year. We don’t want to be so strict as to limit creativity, but have just enough structure to minimize stress as well as adhere to the seasonal guidelines of the church.
2. Create an “HROC Pantry” of staple food items that will be used for meals, such as breads, spreads, chips, crackers, cheeses, beverages, etc. The items can either be donated by parishioners or purchased using money from the donation box (which means we should be a little more direct about requesting donations!). This will reduce the financial burden on the coffee hour teams, and provides a great way for non-coffee hour team folks to contribute to the effort.
3. Adjust the physical setup of the coffee hall and food service. We have moved the beverage service off of the kitchen counter so that the main food items can be served from there, so the coffee hour teams can have some control over the rate of consumption, to ensure that everyone has a chance at a first helping of food. Some items will still be on the food table (especially breads, desserts, fruits, etc.).

Our main goal is that our coffee hour be a continuation of the communion and fellowship that we share during the Divine Liturgy. Yes, we are encouraging a little more modest preparation and consumption of food, but in no way want to diminish the notion that these meals are prepared with love for the enjoyment of all present. Please give me (Susan) any comments you have now or as we continue to develop these ideas!

How to Help our Coffee Hour

The name “Coffee Hour” doesn’t do justice to the meal that we share after Divine Liturgy on Sunday mornings. It would be more rightly called an “Agape Meal,” since it is an extension of the fellowship that we just experienced upstairs. Over the years, our meal has evolved from simple bagels and coffee into a minor feast. Visitors often comment on how wonderful and unique it is.

There are many families who contribute their time and money to providing these meals, and it is done with love for all those who partake. However, these people are being stretched a little thin and we need to ask for more help. If you aren’t already, please consider helping out in one of these ways:

1. Volunteer to be on a Coffee Hour Team. We need more families to participate, if possible. It involves preparing food (either a hot dish, some sandwiches, perhaps some fruit and/or veggies) about once every 7 weeks. The Team also cleans up afterward.

2. Volunteer to help clean. If food preparation isn’t your thing, you can still help to clean up after Coffee Hour. We can add you to a Team so that you would only need to help out once every 7 weeks or so.

3. Put an offering in the “Donation” box. If you are unable to help with food prep, please consider donating some money each week in the wooden box usually located on the food table. This money goes directly toward buying food and supplies for the meals. We are also starting a Team Fund to assist families with buying ingredients/food for the meals. The cost of participating on a Team is a burden on some families who are happy to put in the time to prepare food, but have difficulty fitting it into their budget. Important: please do not take this to mean that you are required to donate money in order to eat! I am only asking people to do what they can to help out. If you are short on cash at the moment, your prayers are always welcome and needed!

Please see Susan Brown if you are able to help out.

Thank you!


P.S. I’ve been asked to do a little review of “Coffee Hour Manners” - just a friendly reminder to help prevent a few problems that crop up from time to time.

1. Please let visitors and elderly parishioners serve themselves first (and help them, if needed).
2. The number of people at church varies so sometimes we have plenty of food, but other times we are a little low. Also, there are many people upstairs cleaning up after Liturgy who come down late (sometimes to an empty table), so please fill your plate lightly your first time through the line. Then come back for seconds once the “upstairs crew” has gotten food!
3. Please review these guidelines with your children and monitor them during Coffee Hour, if necessary.