A tale of two churches and their potluck lunches.

One of the most fascinating parts of church is potluck lunches. It is where I first tasted canned corn and jello salads, collard greens and sweet potato pie, black bean soup and eggplant Parmesan.

Today I attended a lunch at the church we go now and I was struck by the difference between this church and the church I pastored at for 10 years.

Here (New church): Lots of meat dishes

There (Old church): Lots of vegetarian and vegan dishes

Here: Dozens of choices

There: Often one big pot of soup

Here: Cloth tablecloths

There: Battered wooden tables

Here: Older ladies in the kitchen

There: Men in the kitchen

Here: No nuts

There: Lots of nuts (as a protein)

Here: Stored bought bread and desserts

There: Homemade bread and desserts

One is not better than the other. Often at our old church, the girls would end up eating bread and cheese because everything else was not kid-friendly. But today I watched a couple of people search for something to eat because they were vegetarian.

However, there is something inherently good about sharing a meal with others. And today was one of those good days.