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| Photo Credit: marchorowitz, flickr.com |
The Seminary celebrated a wonderful semester of successful community building during fall term. In preparation for the 2011-12 academic year, the Office of Student Affairs scheduled weekly worship services for 12:15p.m. followed by weekly community meals during fall semester. To make that possible, the Office of Academic Affairs offered to supplement the food costs during fall term. Business offices closed from noon – 1:30 pm and the start time of afternoon courses was structured around the worship events so that everyone would have an opportunity to join in the fellowship of community meals following the service. We wanted the broad base of our community to receive nourishment for both their bodies and their spirits.
Given what OSA had budgeted for 2011-12, we had originally planned to return to an every-other-week community meal schedule during spring term. However, during fall semester, as many as 80 of us -- students and their families, faculty and staff as well as, trustees and other guests -- attended both weekly worship and weekly community meals. This is a 20% increase in attendance from last year and we are overjoyed by the growth. In response, we have amended our worship calendar to continue offering community meals after worship on a weekly basis during spring term. This poses a challenge, as it is far more than we had budgeted. So, we will need your help as a community.
Beginning with the first community meal during spring term, we will have donation baskets on the serving tables and we hope that you will feel led to contribute something to the cost of weekly community meals. In addition, if any of our student groups would like to co-sponsor a meal, they can easily work with Alicia and Christine to arrive at suggested donation. If we have a surplus at the end of the year, we will contribute any of the money that remains in this line item to one of the food pantries here in Hyde Park.
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| Photo Credit: drp, flickr.com |
We ask that you bring the same energy and participation to worship and to community meals as we gather around the Lord’s Table and the meal tables during spring term. Let us continue to break bread together!
Grace and peace,
Alicia Rhine and Christine Vogel
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