Churches: Grace Episcopal Church #8

As Year 3 has progressed, our lives have developed a a sort of rhythm.  One part of that rhythm involves serving lunch to homeless neighbors each Saturday at Grace Church.  Each Grace's Table luncheon follows the same routine with setup, food preparation, serving the guests, and cleaning up.

However, the rhythm and routine are occasionally interrupted by welcome variations.  Below are some of those variations on the theme. 

Out of the blue, a family in the congregation volunteered to bring dessert and serve the guests.  They came a long distance and helped make that day's Grace's Table a success.

Another welcome variation was the arrival of volunteers from Georgetown University's service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega.  The volunteers are alumni members of APO (the Mu Alpha chapter at Georgetown) and helped serve a recent Saturday meal.   

What made the day extraordinary was what the group did after serving the meal.  They met outside the church, locked arms and sang a familiar tune with unique lyrics.  Check it out.  

With the arrival of cold weather, we serve a lot less iced tea and a lot more coffee and hot tea.  To help guests keep warm during cold weather, especially at night, one family in the congregation knitted wool hats and distributed them to the guests.  Below, Susan stands with one proud family member holding a bunch of newly knitted hats.  

Another unexpected group of Georgetown University volunteers arrived to make dozens of sandwiches for guests to take away.  

The meals served at Grace's table are always healthy, tasty and filling.  Most of the meals are home-cooked, like the one below, a beef stew.  The chef is a Frenchman from a small town near Strasbourg.  There were many requests for second and third helpings.  

Perhaps the most unexpected variation was the arrival at Grace's Table of a well-dressed canine guest (pictured below).  This pooch's favorite part of the meal?  Vanilla ice cream .

Thanks for sharing some out-of-the-ordinary experiences with us.