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CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA: Tiny parish nourishes Mount Carmel community
Twice a month, the center offers "Saturday Supper," attended by as many as 77 people. The hearty meal – casseroles, potatoes, stews and donated cheesecakes are favorites – is followed by an invitation to Holy Eucharist, which is usually attended by 24-30 people. The same table where dinner was served becomes the altar.
"Our purpose is to minister to people. When they walk through the door, it's Jesus himself taking his place at the table," said Lausch, St. Stephen's part-time rector.
Instead of being asked to give money at Eucharist, guests are asked to donate soup can labels, box tops and soda can pull tabs, all of which are used to raise funds for the local elementary school. In return, the guests receive a sense of contributing to their community, Lausch said.
Senior warden Faith Kirchhoff said the largest reward for her has been watching guests grow into a community. "We thought we'd feed these people, and we've watched a community form. It's more than a meal now; these folks look out for each other, bring their grandchildren, pray for each other, give each other rides."
Although parishioners envisioned serving families with small children, "most dinner guests are in their late 50s to 60s, with some considerably older," said Lausch. Invitations are issued at the food pantry housed in the center. A couple that regularly attends came dressed up on a recent Saturday night to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Another woman puts her leftovers in a clean soup can she keeps in her purse.
Lausch said he frequently hears, "I was hurt very badly by the church and now I'm finding my way back." One family has joined the parish because of their participation in the Saturday suppers at the center.
The center also offers a yearly Halloween party, and provides space for Alcoholics Anonymous, parent support groups, Brownie meetings, and the Shepherd's Pantry.
The St. Stephen Center is one of the few places serving the community of Mt. Carmel, a former coal-mining town where many of the 6,000 residents now work in light manufacturing.
Shortly after news broke that two-thirds of children in the Mt. Carmel School District qualify for free school lunches, "the Holy Spirit got in on the act," said Lausch. That was in 2003, and soon thereafter, returns from a legacy left by a parishioner in the mid-1990s and wisely invested by another had grown to a point that the congregation was discerning a use for the funds. They decided to provide meals for the needy, "despite having no parish house, no kitchen, not a fork or a spoon," said Lausch.
Today, parishioners believe a series of miracles enabled them to "look outward," Lausch said.
A semi-retired restaurateur helped the parish get started, teaching parishioners to cook for large groups, and providing his kitchen, restaurant and supplies free of charge. A waitress pitched in as well.
The next miracle was across the street from the restaurant, and just down the street from the church: an empty building owned by a local bank. When Lausch and parish leaders met with the banker, he asked, "Do I have this straight? You want to buy this building and then give it back to the community?" Lausch recalled. When they answered "yes," the banker made it possible for the church to buy the building in 2004, even though necessary diligence from church authorities meant he could have sold it to another interested buyer sooner.
For Kirchhoff, the Saturday Supper initiative is "the most humbling experience you could ever want to have … Some nights you leave with a lump in your throat."
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