2nd and 4th Sundays @ 5:00 PM
Potluck Dinner
We gather where hospitality is extended to us. Email us at coopssoupstoshare@gmail.com for the location.
Soup Church has been meeting since 2018 around a dinner table. Part of the dinner church movement, Soup Church is church that looks more like a dinner with friends than a formal Sunday morning service. The entire gathering acts as a celebration of communion, beginning and ending with gratitude for the body and blood of Christ.
Practically speaking, we start with the communion prayer and the breaking of bread. We then have dinner, and during dinner someone shares a short sermonette that everyone then talks about while we eat. We then finish the communion meal with another prayer and by drinking from the cup.
It's participatory
Everyone is invited to participate and engage with the dinner. From conversation, to giving the sermonette, to setting up, to preparing food, Soup Church is meant to be participated in, not consumed.
It's ordinary
We look for sacred in the ordinary. We gather around simple tables to have simple meals and talk. In these everyday objects and actions, we find God's presence.
It's for everyone
If you look at Soup Church values, we're looking to create a space for anyone to understand to their relationship to God while feeling safe and loved.
It's enough
We try to live by the idea that when we enter into Soup Church, there's nothing to strive for. We don't want to build an empire, we want to be in community. A common phrase you'll hear us say is, "We've already arrived." The food is enough. The space is enough. You are enough. We've got more than we need.
You'll see a lot of "What We Believe" sections on a church website, but it is hard for Soup Church to formally define what the community believes. One thing we do believe is that God invites all people to come to God's table. This includes people who have been historically and often contemporarily marginalized by the Church, including people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, and racial and ethnic minorities.
We are a community of people who hold a lot of different beliefs on God (or the Divine), religion, and Christianity. Rather than beliefs, our gatherings focus on values that center how we interact and relate to one another.
We value:
Bravery
We desire to be a safe place for all to voice their experience of God and recognize that at times we will fall short in realizing this desire. In order to cultivate safety for others, we must be brave with our voices in sharing our experiences and at times our dissent.
Mutuality
We desire to be place where mutual conversations happen. We believe everyone's experiences and opinions of God and spirituality are valid and sacred. We center our gatherings around sharing of ourselves and listening to others.
Humility
We desire to be a place where, with empathy and compassion, we set aside our assumptions and suspend disbelief in an effort to listen deeply to one another and take seriously the stories, desires, protests, laments, and ideas shared over the meal.
Presence
We desire to be a place where people come to gather to be present to one another, to ourselves, and to God. We desire to slow down and recognize all that is around us and the reality that our existence is a gift.
Dinner is typically served potluck style, with different people bringing side dishes and desserts. We will always have vegan, gluten-free soup served as at least one of the main dishes for the dinner. Since Soup Church is for everyone, if you have other dietary restrictions or food allergies, talk to us! We will figure out a way for all to have a nourishing meal.
No! Everyone is encouraged to bring something to share, but we never want someone to not come to Soup Church because they didn't have time to make something or stop by a store.
You can bring whatever food you would like to contribute to the dinner! This can include homemade, gourmet dishes or quick store-bought items. Your food could be leftovers or specifically made for Soup Church. We accept whatever food that is contributed as an offering of yourself.
All religious traditions, spiritualities, faiths, or lack thereof are welcome to the table. We believe these diverse beliefs are a strength of the community and help inform one another. The dinner will be centered around the teachings of Jesus and much of the language will often be from the Christian tradition. Other language and traditions are welcomed to be voiced and celebrated.
Yes! The entire family is invited to be a part of Soup Church. We are an intergenerational community. Kids are invited to participate in the dinner the same way an adult would.