Peters Creek youth participate in Souper Bowl of Caring.

By Jack Lowe

Peters Creek Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va., has participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring for the past ten years. I learned of it several years before in a mailing from the organization. It seemed like such a simple idea that I was surprised to learn how few churches were actually involved.

I asked the youth of Peters Creek to assist in receiving a special offering for the Souper Bowl of Caring. That's how it works. On Super Bowl Sunday youth stand at the doors of the church following worship with soup pots or bowls. Worshipers are asked to put in $1 as they leave worship. The funds are given to an agency that works on world hunger--a soup kitchen, a food pantry, a denominational hunger fund, or a like agency.

We chose RAM House, a ministry of Roanoke Area Ministries, where people can receive a free breakfast and lunch, food assistance, financial assistance for utilities and prescriptions, and employment assistance. This year our offering included an added component. Our challenge was to raise $250 and receive 250 cans of soup. Results were an offering of $146 and 150 cans of soup, plus other food and paper items. We canceled worship on the last two Sundays of January because of snow and ice, so a special "Joyful Noise Offering" and an offering for tsunami relief also fell to Super Bowl Sunday. Our total for the three special offerings was over $1,700.

The Souper Bowl of Caring began when seminarian Brad Smith prayed in worship at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., on Super Bowl Sunday 1989. "Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat," he said. The youth were inspired by the prayer and planned the first Souper Bowl of Caring in the Columbia area in 1990. From 22 churches, it has grown to 10,673 churches and schools raising $3,803,833 so far in 2005. In the Roanoke Valley, Peters Creek is one of over 50 churches that participate. Each year, we seek to recruit at least one new church. My hope is that every Church of the Brethren congregation will join in. For more information see www.souperbowl.org or write to Souper Bowl, Inc., P.O. Box 29224, Columbia, SC 29224.

--Jack Lowe pastors Peters Creek Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va.

Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline