Noon Fellowship Hour

-- Apostolic Christian Church Practices Series --

    It is twelve o'clock noon in any given assembly in an Apostolic Christian Church.  Observation indicates that something is happening which probably is not practiced in most other church meetings. To be sure, however, this practice is a treasured tradition in the Apostolic Christian Church body.
    This is the practice of serving a noon lunch each Sunday, 52 weeks per year, in the many Apostolic Christian churches across the land. This weekly occasion - a lunch and fellowship hour - is sandwiched between the morning and afternoon church services, which incidentally, are both attended by just about all the listed membership of the church.
    In essence, it amounts to a wonderful and pleasurable hour of fellowship and Christian harmony. It seems that eating together tends to bring people closer to one another. In this realm then, picture in your mind the following scenario: The time is nearly twelve o'clock noon. The morning church service has just concluded. The Elder brother of the church, after making the necessary auxiliary announcements pertaining to the day, usually says, "This will conclude our morning services. Let us go to lunch together". With that, he extends a warm and cordial welcome to all the members, friends, and visitors to dine with the local brethren.
    The ministers, followed by everyone else, then proceed to the church "dining room" and everyone takes a seat at the various tables which had recently been prepared for the lunch. Incidentally, the men sit together on one side of the dining hall, and the women on the other side, just as occurs in the regular worship service, and for the same reasons (as applicable).
    After all have been seated, or when each place is filled, and all the servers are standing together in a row in front of the kitchen, a natural silence seems to ensue. Then, the Elder brother requests a brother to lead in prayer. A visiting brother, or whomever feels led by the Holy Spirit to do so, then prays, offering thanksgiving for the food and drink and asking for the same to be blessed.
    When the prayer is completed, the women servers then proceed to their assigned posts, usually two to a table, and begin pouring coffee or providing milk or water as individual preferences are addressed to them.
    The lunch generally consists of coffee, milk, rolls, and doughnuts. Often times, in addition to rolls and doughnuts, small ham and cheese sandwiches are served. Usually, it's left to each family to decide what to serve, and basically there is very little deviation from the aforementioned norms.
    Who is responsible for the serving? Each church maintains what is known as a "dinner list". This is comprised of families within the church membership and single persons as well in many instances. Also, it includes widows when no financial imposition is apparent. Each Sunday a specific family on the dinner list is responsible for "giving dinner".
    How often does a family give dinner? It depends on the size of the dinner list. For example, if 25 names are on a given list, then a family would give dinner twice a year. If 250, then every five years.
    In those assemblies where a family serves at intervals exceeding a year or more, it usually is a big event for the family, and especially so for young children. Most adults in the church can look back to their childhood and easily recall the vivid excitement of getting up extra early on Sunday morning, getting to church ahead of everyone else, and helping their parents prepare the church lunch.
    Obviously, there are many convincing reasons for holding a noon lunch each Sunday. The main purpose is to foster love, fellowship, and unity in the church body. These three important themes continue unbroken, both in doctrine and example, throughout the New Testament, and are indeed relevant to believers in today's modern world.
    The second chapter of the Book of Acts describes the closeness and oneness experienced by those first believers. They truly practiced close fellowship as evidenced in verse 42, "and they continued steadfast in the Apostle's doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers". Further, in verse 46,"and they continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart".
    Approximately 50 years later the Apostle John wrote, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin". Thus, this reiterates the importance of close Christian fellowship and brotherly love.
    Relative to the very significant matter of fellowship, the Scofield Reference Bible states, "Among the factors which were present in the earliest days of the church were the following: fellowship, prayer, preaching, doctrine, divine illumination, the Lord's Supper, miracles, and joy."¹
    Since economic necessity during the past few decades has tended to result in the brethren living and working in further proximity from each other than previously was the case, the Sunday fellowship hour helps to offset this physical separation and helps as well to develop and strengthen the bond of love and esteem so necessary to a group of believers. These attributes are always in a state of growth and need to be continually nourished.
    As a result of a noon lunch being served each and every Sunday, the brethren surely get to know each other much better. As families come to church every Sunday, year after year, and generation after generation, a deep bond of love and confidence is truly established, and it becomes more and more apparent that the many families blend together into what constitutes a larger "family of God". This is a great blessing. Not only does this result in a broad base of love, but promotes stability and tradition as well.

NOON LUNCHES HISTORICALLY

    In a historical sense, it was not at all unusual for a noon luncheon to be served as the early church grew and spread out. Slower modes of transportation at that time in comparison with modern times prevented groups of believers from gathering together as frequently as today, and when they did come together for worship, it was only prudent and logical that more than one service be held.
    It is interesting to note that earlier groups of believers would often hold two services on a Sunday that would many times be of long duration, exceeding two hours or more in length. While that may seem long it must be remembered that in times past, from the inception of the early church up until about 50 years ago, people generally engaged themselves only in activities related to making a living. Activities relative to prolonged mental stimulation were, of necessity, not too pronounced.
    Thus, by not being exposed to the enormity of the present day media (in the many existing forms), as well as not having immediate access to our current material possessions and entertainments, they as believers were seemingly more thirsty for, and interested in, their church worship and fellowship, and this eventually proved to be their biggest social outlet. It's possible that in such a framework, and measured in a relative sense, they were more impressed by, and appreciative of, coming together to worship and learn the things of God.
    Transportation was slow and if one had to travel even as little as five or ten miles, it was a big event that required considerable time and effort. In this realm, it was only good planning to hold two services, and serve some type of nourishment in between.
    Even as far back as the early church, a fellowship meal was served. Voight, writing in Methodist Worship in the Church Universal, states, "There seems to be evidence, as written by Justin Martyr, that they gathered for Scripture, sermon, and prayers at one place, and then for supper at another. At least a fellowship meal, called the 'agape', what we might loosely call the 'love feast', was observed.”² The same author indicates that in 1792, at least, that denomination held not only morning and afternoon church services, but an evening service as well.³
    The Apostolic Christian Church, too, has always held morning and afternoon church services on Sunday. The church's founder, Bro. S. H. Froehlich, in his many writings, often refers to the Sunday "morning" service, and the "afternoon" service. Doubtless, owing to the transportation capabilities of the mid-nineteenth century, the church initiated the practice of holding two Sunday services with lunch in between.
    In fact, so strong is this tradition, that during the initial stages of the formation of recent new assemblies, such as in large cities or near university campuses, Sunday meetings are featured by two services and a lunch period. For instance, for many years during the decade of the sixties, church meetings were held at the Krannert YMCA in Indianapolis, Indiana, usually with only a handful of people in attendance.
    Yet, despite the small gathering and almost total lack of kitchen facilities, two services were held with coffee and doughnuts served in the interim. And today, as these same Indianapolis brethren, and many more, gather in their newly built church edifice, the same format is adhered to. The assembly at this location serves to fully illustrate the procedures that are followed in the many other outreach areas.
    In his book, South Side, which is a history of the Apostolic Christian Church formerly located south of Forrest and Fairbury, Illinois, the late author Bro. Ben Nussbaum presents a clear and vivid picture of "giving dinner" back during the turn of the century.
    He writes, "In past conversations with my mother, she recalled that in the church's early years all of the bread was homemade. However, when I was a youngster, the congregation had increased to the point where it was no longer feasible for those 'serving' to bake their own bread. It was subsequently purchased from the bakery. We would place an order with them at least a week in advance and then on the Saturday prior to our 'serving day' make the trip to town in the spring wagon, picking up the bread and stopping at the grocery for an ample supply of coffee and sugar.
    "The church coffee was invariably a very tasty drink. It was made in large quantities by a certain few women known for their prowess as cooks and one of them assumed the responsibility of preparing it each Sunday. This coffee was made on the coal-burning cookstove in a copper wash boiler of approximately fifteen gallon capacity. It had handles at each end and was covered with a lid of tin.
    "The early church lacked window screens, and in the summer the flies took advantage of his, especially when we were eating at the dining tables. Some of the women, using three foot long, leafy, tree branches as chasers, would stand behind the diners and flick away the flies quite effectively"⁴
    Today, however, in air-conditioned edifices complete with modern food handling facilities, serving lunch proceeds with grace and ease.

ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION ABOUT THE NOON LUNCH

    Discussion has already centered on one reason for holding a noon lunch each Sunday - that of providing opportunity for good, Christian fellowship. Generally, this is the main reason. But, from the matter of fellowship stems other factors and additional reasons.
    The noon lunch hour provides an open door to those who attend church worship, but who are not converted. They are beloved friends of the truth. It is obvious that a church body, whose members hold fast to the whole counsel of God may, on the basis of their firm beliefs and unequivocal standards relating to faith, appear as quite different, both in appearance and general attitude, from those who do not believe. In fact, it should be this way.
    This being the case, however, it is possible that sometimes misunderstandings could arise in the minds of the friends which would put distance between them and the members. To circumvent this possibility, it is wise to hold a noon luncheon whereby friends of the truth can truly see the evidence of love and harmony in a group of believers, can further feel this wonderful love, and can feel free to enjoy and even want to be a part of that fellowship.
    In such a weekly fellowship hour, much love and attention can be extended to them, and this hopefully may cause them to have a more favorable attitude toward the church and the brethren. Thus, the noon lunch constitutes, among other things, a step toward the unbelievers on the part of the church.
    Love is the world's most powerful force, and the noon hour fellowship provides an excellent chance to exercise this love, not only to the brethren, but to the friends. Nourishment is provided for all, and everyone is welcome. Somehow, this surely must leave a favorable impression in the minds of those who are not converted.
    Too, the noon lunch provides a good chance for the more hesitant friends to come closer to the church. Perhaps by sauntering into the lunch area - void of pressure from the brethren to talk about his soul - the shy or introverted friend can more easily grow toward the church in a way that is suitable to his personality. In essence, the noon lunch period amounts to a great outreach to the unconverted and helps draw them closer to the church.
    Another benefit is that the complexities of planning and serving tend to foster cooperation and "working together" among the sisters of the church. This too provides for closer ties and fellowship.

CONCLUSION

    Serving lunch at church each Sunday has proven to be a wise procedure and a cherished tradition in the church. The rewards have been innumerable and will continue to be so.
    A brother in the church once said, "We truly have many fine and wonderful traditions and practices in our church. They provide untold blessings for all of us. Let's not rob ourselves of these many blessings".
    Truly, one of these blessings is our noon lunch and fellowship hour.
 

FOOTNOTES

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1. Scofield Reference Bible, page 1166.
2. Voight, Edwin E., Methodist Worship in the Church Universal, pages 34-35.
3. Voight, page 76.
4. Nussbaum, Ben, South Side, pages 33-39.