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Come to the Banquet: Worship, Music, and the Art of Hospitality

Jesus tells us that when giving a banquet, we should invite the “poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.”  Drawing inspiration from this, and from my own passionate pleasure in fine food, shared liberally around a well‐set table, with time for conversation, relaxation and the development of bonds formed around a common meal, we have, since spring of 2009, converted the St. Michael’s Cathedral parish hall into a banquet hall on the last Saturday of every month.

Tables with fine linen, full glass and porcelain place settings, and centerpieces of freshly cut flowers greet the hungry and homeless of our community. Three courses of homemade gourmet food

(organized by our volunteer professional chef, and Congregations Project team member Lida Rerecich), are served by our volunteer wait staff.

From the beginning, the vision for “Come to the Banquet” has included not just the art of hospitality in culinary matters, but also the offering from musicians from our local Boise community and cathedral parish. This idea runs parallel with the food and hospitality of service: not only do many of us take good food for granted, but we do the same with great music. Canon Musician (and Congregations Project team member) Michael Boney oversees the organization of these musical offerings. With the assistance of the ISM Congregations Project, our team seeks to take “Come to the Banquet” to the next steps in our community. With the summer seminar, we eagerly seek to connect with those doing outreach and service ministry and who integrate it with their own witness of music and art. We hope to gain learning and inspiration from congregations around the nation as to how we can not only grow but serve as a resource to congregations that surround us in Boise and our region who wish to serve in their own unique ways. We envision “Come to the Banquet” growing not only in the number of those served, but in the musical and artistic offerings that are so crucial to its identity.

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