Food can bring family together and First Lutheran Church of Newton does just that. But rather than a tradional family, they have an extended religious family. The church teamed up with other other churches to partake in a traveling Lent supper each Wednesday.
“This is something that the four congregations have been doing for several years now,” Pastor Zachary Bey said. “I don’t know how long it’s been going on. I have only been here for two months. Its been the tradition that these communities have been doing this type of thing for a number of years.”
Tonight, the supper will be held at St. Andrew’s in Sully at 6 p.m. Following the meal will be a Bible study session and worship.
“We’ve got two more (suppers),” Bey said. “(Tonight’s) is at St. Andrew’s in Sully, and the 20th is at St. Stephen’s Episcopal.”
The traveling meals have allowed Bey to collaborate with people he might otherwise not meet.
“I think it’s really neat,” he said. “I think it’s a great sign of the unity of the Body of Christ that we got different working communities that can come together, worship together, do some Bible study together and have fellowship together. I think it’s a good thing for the community.”
The collaboration also allows him to hear a difference in interpretation of the Bible.
“That happens a lot, where you see somebody else or hear somebody else talk,” Bey said. “(It’s like), ‘hey, that’s a nice way of looking at that’ or ‘I like that.’ (It’s) just building conversation and building community.”
Bey said the traveling meals gives members a chance to see different churches.
“It gives members of each of these communities a chance to see a different worship spaces,” Bey said. “You get to go in to the Presbyterian Church, for example, and see how the worship spaces (are) built differently , and how they’re the same. I think that’s really good as Christians to know how we worship (and know) that there are different ways to worship. Experiencing some of that – I think is really important.”
Bey said he normally has about five to seven people attend the suppers, and with the traveling suppers, he usually has about 35 people in attendance.
“There is usually something heartening about not going alone, but joining together for things like this,” Bey said.
The First Lutheran Church is located at 309 E. Third St. N., For more information call (641) 792-3934.