High Demand Religions?

[Sudsy]

I spent time at a church that did a lot of fellowship meals together, at least one "potluck" a week. There was a gentleman at the church who called them "pot providence" meals. It showed God's providence instead of "luck", and it was an alliteration to boot. He said it half-serious, half in jest. It never caught on with everyone, but he got some of the others trying to use the term.

I like that one "pot providence".

I question having church 'Bingos' also as it too is largely a game of luck and could promote gambling. And some have reservations about using real wine for communion considering it may be a danger for those who have or are struggling with alcohol. Just where we draw our lines so we don't cause a brother to sin does seem to vary. Romans 14:13-23 gives some guidance on this. We are to walk in love for others and try to not be a stumbing block to them in their walk with the Lord.

Regarding gambling, when I was young we were not allowed to roll dice when playing a parlour game. Instead we had these things we called 'spinners' that we would spin and stop on a number for the distance of our moves in the game. I remember questioning this as an issue of chance and the response I got was it was more an issue that the soldiers cast lots for Jesus robe and so it was about 'casting dice'. I still thought using a spinner was still more related to chance than it was of talent.

Regarding church meals, at the MB church we often had these meals with some attempt at not having a majority show up with their favourite dish. I remember church bulletins would say all the people with last names beginning from 'A to H, for example, bring a dessert. Those 'I to P' bring a salad and those 'Q to Z' bring a main dish. This was also an attempt to have a more healthier balanced meal however, one could still just fill their plate with desserts if they chose to.

Sometimes the pastor would say grace and then request that you sit with those you seldom get to share time with and get to know them better. I thought this was good to try to avoid cliques that can form amongst believers.

[MaxPC]

I spent time at a church that did a lot of fellowship meals together, at least one "potluck" a week. There was a gentleman at the church who called them "pot providence" meals. It showed God's providence instead of "luck", and it was an alliteration to boot. He said it half-serious, half in jest. It never caught on with everyone, but he got some of the others trying to use the term.

I like that one "pot providence".

I question having church 'Bingos' also as it too is largely a game of luck and could promote gambling. And some have reservations about using real wine for communion considering it may be a danger for those who have or are struggling with alcohol. Just where we draw our lines so we don't cause a brother to sin does seem to vary. Romans 14:13-23 gives some guidance on this. We are to walk in love for others and try to not be a stumbing block to them in their walk with the Lord.

Regarding gambling, when I was young we were not allowed to roll dice when playing a parlour game. Instead we had these things we called 'spinners' that we would spin and stop on a number for the distance of our moves in the game. I remember questioning this as an issue of chance and the response I got was it was more an issue that the soldiers cast lots for Jesus robe and so it was about 'casting dice'. I still thought using a spinner was still more related to chance than it was of talent.

Regarding church meals, at the MB church we often had these meals with some attempt at not having a majority show up with their favourite dish. I remember church bulletins would say all the people with last names beginning from 'A to H, for example, bring a dessert. Those 'I to P' bring a salad and those 'Q to Z' bring a main dish. This was also an attempt to have a more healthier balanced meal however, one could still just fill their plate with desserts if they chose to.

Sometimes the pastor would say grace and then request that you sit with those you seldom get to share time with and get to know them better. I thought this was good to try to avoid cliques that can form amongst believers.

I too, like the "pot providence" name. I daresay that it did not catch on because it has too many syllables. Some terminology such as pot luck and kleenex have simply become cemented into daily language through frequent usage. The storage compartment in most vehicles is still referred to as a glove box or glove compartment by many even though gloves are rarely worn by drivers now. I remember when all convenience stores were called "7-11" even if they were another company.

I do believe that there is a great deal of diversity in practices of member churches within any given denomination. So many variables impact those decisions. In Catholic World, it is especially true. One priest at a growing parish will be much busier than an established parish that has additional clerical help in the form of an extra priest and/or deacons.

Likewise, I think you would be surprised that not all Catholic parishes have chosen to hold Bingo because they do not see it as being a good witness, especially in rural areas. Some of the urban parishes have held Bingo to raise money for their soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Choices on social events and activities are often decided by the parish council which is made up of laity and the pastor who examine the particulars of a parish's ministry list.

Every now and again the LOTKs designate the alphabet approach to bringing dishes to the larger events. Most often though, my wife and the other ladies are sent a sign-up sheet. My personal favorite among the parish fellowship meals is the Lenten Soup and Scripture. We have some outstanding cooks in the pews to be sure.

Here is a fun tidbit:
Where Does the Word ‘Potluck’ Come From?
There are multiple proposed origin stories for the word “potluck.” The first comes from Indigenous Americans and the word “potlatch.” Indigenous peoples, particularly in the Pacific Northwest and some parts of Canada, would host large gatherings called potlatches, where communities would gather to give away and share food. The word potlatch comes from the phrase ‘give away’ or ‘gift,’ so if you think of a potluck as giving away food to everyone in attendance, this makes sense.

Another possible origin is that the word came about to describe when an unexpected guest drops by and doesn’t know what will be served or if there will even be enough to go around. This was described as “the luck of the pot,” referencing that the guest was at the mercy of the pot when it came to their dinner. Some versions of this word have been recorded in England as early as the 16th century.

[Josh]

Likewise, I think you would be surprised that not all Catholic parishes have chosen to hold Bingo because they do not see it as being a good witness, especially in rural areas.

I often feel like there are two Catholic worlds.

[Soloist]

I spent time at a church that did a lot of fellowship meals together, at least one "potluck" a week. There was a gentleman at the church who called them "pot providence" meals. It showed God's providence instead of "luck", and it was an alliteration to boot. He said it half-serious, half in jest. It never caught on with everyone, but he got some of the others trying to use the term.

I like that one "pot providence".

I question having church 'Bingos' also as it too is largely a game of luck and could promote gambling. And some have reservations about using real wine for communion considering it may be a danger for those who have or are struggling with alcohol. Just where we draw our lines so we don't cause a brother to sin does seem to vary. Romans 14:13-23 gives some guidance on this. We are to walk in love for others and try to not be a stumbing block to them in their walk with the Lord.

Regarding gambling, when I was young we were not allowed to roll dice when playing a parlour game. Instead we had these things we called 'spinners' that we would spin and stop on a number for the distance of our moves in the game. I remember questioning this as an issue of chance and the response I got was it was more an issue that the soldiers cast lots for Jesus robe and so it was about 'casting dice'. I still thought using a spinner was still more related to chance than it was of talent.

Regarding church meals, at the MB church we often had these meals with some attempt at not having a majority show up with their favourite dish. I remember church bulletins would say all the people with last names beginning from 'A to H, for example, bring a dessert. Those 'I to P' bring a salad and those 'Q to Z' bring a main dish. This was also an attempt to have a more healthier balanced meal however, one could still just fill their plate with desserts if they chose to.

Sometimes the pastor would say grace and then request that you sit with those you seldom get to share time with and get to know them better. I thought this was good to try to avoid cliques that can form amongst believers.

Wife: fellowship meal, shared meal, and love feast are some that I’ve heard, although the latter has mostly been in some of the charity/kingdom Christian churches. I’ve also seen a connection between the children/youth/adult ratio, and how quickly the food disappears. Hubby was considering doing a children’s lesson on the second half of first Corinthians 11, and having a few of them grab two cookies so there wouldn’t be any left for the last few.

[steve-in-kville]

Wife: fellowship meal, shared meal, and love feast are some that I’ve heard, although the latter has mostly been in some of the charity/kingdom Christian churches.

Lovefeast is also the Brethren version of the Mennonite communion.

[Josh]

I have yet to see a potluck (in America) come even close to running out of food.

[Soloist]

Wife: well, I’ve certainly seen one run out of meats and sweets before the end of the line

[ohio jones]

I can recall one high demand potluck where more than twice as many visitors as anticipated showed up to hear a singing group. The food committee did some quick calculations and called the pizza shop down the street for extra loaves and fishes (figuratively speaking; no anchovies were included). Otherwise there's always been at least a few baskets of leftovers, even if the taco salad runs out.

[Sudsy]

I can recall one high demand potluck where more than twice as many visitors as anticipated showed up to hear a singing group. The food committee did some quick calculations and called the pizza shop down the street for extra loaves and fishes (figuratively speaking; no anchovies were included). Otherwise there's always been at least a few baskets of leftovers, even if the taco salad runs out.

Speaking of leftovers I found that working in the kitchen or serving we had first access to leftovers if these would spoil if not consumed fairly quickly. Sometimes if less people than anticipated showed up, these leftovers were quite plentiful, including desserts. We always seemed to have plenty of kitchen and serving help. These leftovers were put in 'doggy bags' however, the 'old dog' in the family, me, usually got first dibs. Scripture says to prefer one another over ourselves but doesn't say we have to treat our pets that way. Although our dog gets a lot of special treats.

[MaxPC]

I can recall one high demand potluck where more than twice as many visitors as anticipated showed up to hear a singing group. The food committee did some quick calculations and called the pizza shop down the street for extra loaves and fishes (figuratively speaking; no anchovies were included). Otherwise there's always been at least a few baskets of leftovers, even if the taco salad runs out.

Speaking of leftovers I found that working in the kitchen or serving we had first access to leftovers if these would spoil if not consumed fairly quickly. Sometimes if less people than anticipated showed up, these leftovers were quite plentiful, including desserts. We always seemed to have plenty of kitchen and serving help. These leftovers were put in 'doggy bags' however, the 'old dog' in the family, me, usually got first dibs. Scripture says to prefer one another over ourselves but doesn't say we have to treat our pets that way. Although our dog gets a lot of special treats.

Woof.