Good soup and good company at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

The first Thursday soup lunch of the new year was a big hit at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Weiser.
Last week, members of the congregation served up 60 bowls of cream of brocoli soup. It was gone by 12:30 p.m. as the parish hall filled up with diners.  
“We were surprised by the great turnout. It was wonderful,” congregation member Chris Coats said.
The soup lunch will be held every Thursday through March 10, a total of 10 weeks. Hot soup in big bowls is served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the church annex. Upcoming weeks will feature beefy tomato, chicken noodle, minestrone and more. There is also coffee or juice.
This is the eighth year the church has offered its popular weekly soup lunch. It’s free for anyone who shows up and donations are always accepted. All donations go to charities in the community and do not fund any church programs. 
It’s not just the good soup that brings people out. It’s also a time to get reacquainted with friends after spending time indoors during the winter months.
“You know what’s really fun about it is you see everybody,” Elyssa Alvarez said. “After being in the house all winter it’s nice to get out.”
Husband Albert agreed that both the food and conversation are great.
Church members sign up to make the soup every week. Others bring fresh-baked bread or dessert or help out in the kitchen cleaning up or serving soup.
  Joining Coats in volunteering for last week’s lunch were Liz Mowry, Eileen Boots, Jane Bollman, Teresa Long and Denny Fields. 
About an hour of prep time goes into cutting up the fresh vegetables and getting the ingredients together before the pot of soup goes on the stove. The cooks don’t ever use canned soup stock and it is always made from scratch, she said. 
Bollman will be making the soup this Thursday and promised something tasty. She has been helping with the weekly soup lunch since St. Luke’s started doing it. It was a way to give something back to the community and offer a free lunch. 
Weiser resident Susan McCoy and her group of Mah-jongg players have the soup lunch every Thursday and then get into the game. They lock up the church annex when they leave.
Pastor Blake Coats said the Episcopal church in Boise has its Lenten Lunches, and St. Luke’s in Weiser likes to do the Thursday soup lunches. It started out as a way to bring the community together for hot soup during the cold weather. People need the nourishment and they enjoy the community fellowship.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church is located on the corner of East First and Liberty streets in Weiser.
 

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Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
 

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