Where's my bagel?

At NHC we make no bones about it: we do everything on purpose. And that includes our reason behind having coffee and some pastries on Sunday mornings.

Being able to grab a cup of joe and a bite of a danish is not only good for the palate, but more importantly, believe it or not, enables us to be more at ease in meeting and greeting one another and our guests when we gather for fellowship and worship. There's something relaxing about holding a cup of coffee in your hand while conversing.

The purpose behind providing food and drink is to enable fellowship and to lessen the fear factor for guests. (Maybe you remember your first time entering the doors of our church.) The greeter's words, "Feel free to enjoy a cup of coffee and a donut" is a big help to ease those first-time fears. And when you look around and see others doing the same, you feel like you belong.

But we've strayed from our purpose. Lately we've noticed (and evaluation is an important part of staying on purpose) that our food table has become the breakfast bar for many of us who call NHC home. It reminds me of Paul's words to the Corinthian church, who were guilty of getting to the church gathering first and eating up the meal before the others arrived to find nothing left. He said, "Don't you have your own homes for eating and drinking?".

So, we've taken away the food for a time. It will return! But we need to do a little evaluation of its purpose and make sure we aren't missing it.

When the food table is back, please enjoy it. But it's not intended to be breakfast for you or you family. It's intended to be an "ice breaker" so that we can more easily welcome our guests.

Eat a little. Fellowship a lot.

And don't hesitate to drop a mite or two in the coffee jar to help out! Say a word of thanks, too, to our great Hospitality Team for their ministry to us on Sundays.

Coming soon: NHC thermal coffee mugs!