Our church kitchen buzzed with activity as the dozen or so volunteers from Cornerstone Lutheran Church in Carmel, Indiana made themselves at home, putting the finishing touches on the meal that they had so lovingly prepared: pork barbecue, mac and cheese, fruit and cookies. More than thirty hungry Purdue students waited patiently in line, eager to try the barbecue that they’d heard so much about. Finally, the serving line was opened, and the last Come Hungry Sunday meal of the school year was served.
We want to extend a huge thank you to the Small Group Bible study from Cornerstone Lutheran Church who sacrificed their Sunday to provide a meal and encouragement to the students of University Lutheran Church. This is an important weekly event for our church, as it provides an opportunity for students to gather together casually, enjoy a meal, and spend time getting to know one another and our staff. The event has grown, and we now serve almost forty students every week. We were especially touched when one of our student’s parents, Jeannette Tonne (mother of Rachel), contacted us to ask if their small group could help.
This small group, which meets each Sunday during the Sunday School hour, has been meeting regularly for about seven years, reading a variety of Bible studies, and encouraging one another to use their gifts and talents to serve in various ways. With children of similar ages, they have supported one another as their children have transitioned from junior high to high school and now on to college, with several of the children from this group attending Purdue, and ULu. Said Jeannette, “Serving hearts with joy is the one item we all have in common.”
When asked what motivated the group to prepare this meal and travel sixty miles to serve the students at ULu, Jeannette simply said, “You’d need to understand our group. Rachel summed it up best in her thank you email to the group. This group is a wonderful, loving, “rock star” Bible study group. Each of them jump at the opportunity to serve Christ and the community.”
One ULu student, who attends our Come Hungry Sunday meal regularly, remarked, “I am overwhelmed that this large group of people would travel so far to prepare and serve a meal for us. It was just really encouraging.”
Thank you to Jeannette and her friends from the bottom of our hearts for making the students and community members at ULu the recipients of your generosity and outpouring of Christ’s love! It is a night we won’t soon forget.
The following folks participated in the preparation and serving of the meal:
Brian and Paula Lohss
Jay and Shannon Schraeder
Doug and Kathy Evelo
Rob and Shirley Schultz
Dave and Jeannette Tonne
Larry and Sharon Streit
Shaun Schoeler
