June 27, 2016
by:  Jane Bishop Halteman

Food, fun, fellowship at western area group yard party 

KRMC’s western area group, which enjoys food, fun, and fellowship and tries to make time for a quarterly get-together, frolicked Friday evening around rousing games of cornhole (find out more about this yard sport at this Wikipedia location) and picnic food at a yard party hosted by Carl and Carolyn.

We invited Monica, our summer Ministry Inquiry intern from Goshen College, to join us to get acquainted, and discovered what a fine cornhole player she is.  She and Dionta ruled most of the evening, only to be edged out finally by Cathy and Jim.  Monica, by the way, preached an amazing sermon in three parts Sunday morning on Jesus’ compassion for a grieving woman.  If you missed it, check out this link to the audio of her sermon.

Focus on food

A lovely array of main dish salads and dips with veggies and pita was perfect for a pleasant evening meal, along with Betty’s ice cream whoopie pies for dessert.  Sprawled around the yard in comfy lawn chairs (some with cup holders for Carolyn’s infused strawberry/lime water), we learned about Homer’s novel learning device from the Amish community (he’d love to show it to you and tell you about it!) and heard from our hosts, who are relative newcomers to this country and Kern Road, about their former life in Canada.  Marty, who demonstrated his skill at climbing trees and the garage roof, shared that he has spotted 43 varieties of birds in South Bend.  His life list continues to grow.  The ambient sounds of music piped from a loud speaker system in the back yard and neighbors partying down the street offered a relaxing backdrop as we learned more about each other during our few hours together.    

Back in the winter months, our area group held a traveling dinner which progressed to four homes for appetizers, followed by salads, main dishes, and finally desserts.  Some of us helped with the Near Northwest Neighborhood’s cleanup in April.  And others of us attended the May house warming/blessing for the Ahuatl family.  (See this link for a blog post about the family if you haven’t already read it.)

Area groups, by which KRMCers are divided into subsets according to where they live, are tasked with building relationships.  Aside from fellowship with each other, groups facilitate support during times of illness or transition, celebration of significant events, and welcoming newcomers.

Your area group leaders would love to hear from you about the kinds of activities you would enjoy in your neighborhoods.  Don't hesitate to share with each other how area group activities have helped create bonds with your fellow KRMCers and how you have come to see the Divine in one another!   

Yes, we ate well

 

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