Trip to Outley House in Philadelphia

11 members of Covenant went to Outley House September 6 to serve lunch to about 100 men at this rehab shelter in Philadelphia. Three of the crew also took some of the food to a women's shelter, which took 1-1/2 hours round trip because they ended up taking the long way around. Because of the distance (even with using the short cuts) the Covenant team is discussing alternating between the two facilities rather than serving both on the same day. ...TBD (To Be Decided).

The day was hot and humid and there was no air conditioning. A big fan was nearby but didn't blow on Kevin who was cooking the ground beef on the grill. He was heard to say, "I think I lost 5 pounds in sweat!" One team member reported that "four of us cried over the chopped onions while we solved the problems of the world.""

Beefaroni, green beans, rolls, "dessert medley" and iced tea made up the menu and was really appreciated by the men. As always--the emphasis was not only to serve good food (including a healthy portion of meat), but to treat those served with respect. Servers are instructed not to say, "You can have only one serving of dessert," but "Which kind of dessert would you like." It seems like a very subtle difference, but is both said and heard in a different way.

Continuing the practice of serving Saturdays of holiday weekends, the next trip will be November 29. Call the church office if you'd like more information and/or to sign up. (610-648-0707)