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St. Mary's Episcopal Church

St. Mary's Episcopal Church Community Lunch in Colonial Beach

The first Saturday of the month from noon to 3 p.m. St. Mary’s Episcopal Church serves a Community Lunch of homemade soup, fresh bread, and beverages at no cost.  For our summer lunches, we serve fresh sandwiches, applesauce, and other treats.  The tables are sprinkled with candy for a treat.  

The Community Lunch supports Bishop Johnson’s idea of theological community.  To be a community that cares about our neighbors, we must first get to know our neighbors.  A community lunch is a way for people to come together, share a meal, and build relationships.  When people know each other, it is much easier to reach out, be friendly, and offer help when it’s needed.

 All in the community are invited.  The guests may be residents or visitors, people out shopping, workers on lunch break, parents sharing lunch with their kids, a car pool of neighbors, or people out walking. 

 A week before the Saturday community lunch, signs are posted around town, flyers are displayed in the windows of businesses, clinics, the fire and police department, the rescue squad, the library, and notices are in the newspapers and on local Channel 8.  The signs are in English and Spanish. 

Since our first lunch in November, 2010, 974 guests have been served.  Guests are multi-racial; multi-cultural, elderly and youth, about 1/3 from St. Mary’s and 2/3 from the community.  Volunteer servers include high school students earning community service credits along with parishioners and neighbors.    In November 2010, 87 people were served hearty chicken vegetable soup; at December’s lunch 123 people enjoyed minestrone with meatballs and cheese tortellini; creamy potato/leek soup was served in January to 150 people; next was turkey sausage, bowtie pasta, tomato and baby spinach soup in February for 137 people; in March 105 guests enjoyed beef bourguignon (with some chicken noodle for the little children); April, 120 guests had homemade tomato soup and hot cheese rolls and cornbread; May, 96 guests dined on chicken with spring vegetable soup; June, 83 guests enjoyed our sandwiches, applesauce, and chips;  July, 85 neighbors joined in for hot dogs, potato salad and other goodies. 

 We’ve created an event where people from all over our area (the boating club, big farms as well as subsidized town housing) come together to eat. People who would not typically have a venue to talk to each other are visiting with folks they have just met. They are seated at decorated tables and served their meal.  Our tables are configured to accommodate guests with mobility restrictions.  We have an activity table with puzzles, books, and art supplies for the children.  Several children play together after they had eaten.  Comments from our guests are very positive and relationships are budding.    

 If you would like more information, please contact: