‘Crowded table’

By Bishop Jen Nagel

The song that’s been tumbling through my head these last few days is called “Crowded Table” by The Highwomen. “I want a house with a crowded table, and a place by the fire for everyone.”

The Minnesota State Fair closed its 12-day run last night, and my state fair memories for 2024 are from the crowded tables of the Salem Lutheran Church Dining Hall. A week ago Monday, a few of us from the synod staff volunteered at the Salem Dining Hall at Cosgrove and Randall. Over the fair’s run, 150-some volunteers pitch in working at the counter, waiting tables, flipping pancakes and making the meatballs, washing dishes, driving the van, making ice cream sundaes (yes, with lingonberry sauce and ginger cookies), sweeping the floors, and cracking the eggs that – shells and all – baptize the grounds of the much-loved Swedish Egg Coffee.

This is the 75th Anniversary year for Salem’s dining hall, one of just two remaining church dining halls at the fair. (Back in 1903 there were 89; read more fun facts here).

 

WHAT DID I enjoy the most? A few things:

The intergenerational mix of volunteers: Teenagers were waiting tables; Jim Zieba who knows the secrets of the egg coffee (and for whom we all quickly learned to make way when he came through with a hot pot) was sharing his gift; many of us were doing things that we’d never/rarely done before with all the feels that come along. On that Monday we included crews from Trinity Lutheran Church in Long Lake, Redeemer Lutheran Church on Glenwood in north Minneapolis, Salem, and a handful of current and previous synod staff or spouses. Thank God for Salem’s Brenda Blackhawk and Rachel Carmichael who keep the whole thing running. Working side by side across the lines of age and church and race is a great way to get to know one another.

“We shared a trust that there is enough and that community is possible.”

The hospitality. As our motley team assembled shortly after sunrise, I was assigned to be the host. I took my spot by door, welcoming guests, directing groups to tables, making space for those with wheelchairs and scooters, and chatting with the folks in the line. I heard confessions about people’s church attendance, curiosities about the ELCA/church/coffee/God (in approximately that order); yearnings for community; and a bounty of stories, memories, and hopes. And, I met a lot of people, including some of you from our synod, and those from other synods. A big shout out to Pastor Nick Franco and St. John Lutheran Church in Zimmerman; it was great to meet you at the fair!

And, finally, crowded tables. There were times in the lull of the morning when the tables weren’t full and those who appreciated some space quietly recharged for the next foray. More often the tables were crowded and the benches were full. We shared a communion of sorts, shoulder to shoulder, friends and strangers at our side, conversations, and a trust that there is enough and that community is possible.

As we move into the fall with all the new beginnings and plenty of uncertainty, I’m savoring the crowded table and a place of God’s welcome with room for everyone.