 Pictured above: Michelle Magee and Jeffrey Gardner handle the coffee and donut details on Kickoff Sunday, September 7th, 2025. After enjoying lemonade after services during the reign of the “Summer Pianist” Anne Roberts, we returned to coffee hour in our spacious lobby. Sunday, September 14th could be thought of as the return to “ordinary coffee time”. Coffee time gives us time to network, greet our guests and celebrate the beloved community. We have home bakers who delight us with a batch of cookies or brownies although, like manna from heaven, one can’t count on baked goods.
Charles Kellogg Backus, architect of our building, provided at least three wonderful gathering spaces in our sanctuary building: the lobby, the fireplace room and the memorial garden porch. Backus also provided us with a small, tidy kitchen, just enough room to wash dishes, keep a refrigerator and store dishes plus utensils. Our annex has more of a service kitchen, helpful for caterers of special events. During services, three coffee urns must be set to brewing before service, one for boiling tea water and one for decaffeinated coffee and one for caffeinated coffee. The kitchen has just enough room for a rolling coffee table. A special team, led by Kathy Konwiak, leads the volunteers who sign up for coffee preparation. One will find the sign-up sheet on the front table by the door, right where visitors can find the name tags and Sharpies. Konwiak balances an interesting set of duties. Frequently, when we host meetings of political candidates and the like, Konwiak serves as greeter and host. Konwiak also leads the Social Justice Committee, which usually meets on the first Sunday of the month. Look for the committee in the religious education wing Sunday, October 5th. We’ll be in the room with the piano. So, thanks to Konwiak, give us justice and piping hot coffee for the cause, served up with sugar, cream and oat milk. Konwiak gradually shared the opportunity of coffee ministry. Now, a steady cohort of partners, two at a time, slip out of service after offering to push the cart into the foyer. Coffee duty is a loving way to spend quality time with your favorite human. By the time we’re shaking hands with Reverend Aaron at the sanctuary portal, many are already adding cream to their first cup. Yes, we see the conflict. One can congratulate reverend on another great homily or get one of the first pours of caffeinated bliss. Let’s finish with an anecdote. Last Sunday, the coffee pot gushed precious cups out of the top, mimicking a coffee volcano. Board Member Jeremiah Hess spotted the calamity first and began clean-up with a paper towel. Ameera Bandy went to the front lines, making the coffee cart look as if nothing had ever happened. Doing a check-up, the team decided, “We really need to increase our brewing capacity. We’re drawing a full house every Sunday after Reverend Aaron settled in as our minister.” New volunteers don’t struggle alone. Members of the team take volunteers through a full apprenticeship. Konwiak is never far from the kitchenette as the newbies learn the system. The current sign-in sheet has a few assignments available as we make the journey into Fall with a warm cup of love. Thank you to the coffee teams. This is not a complete list, and we apologize if we overlooked any names. Jeff Gardner and Sean Kelly Steve and Joy Spurr Michelle Magee Sonja and Mark Franchett Lauri Hoese Mollie Fletcher Randi Borys Meghan Boomhower
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