Stone Soup Update for SEEK

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Stone Soup Celebration

November 18, 2018

Hosted by SEEK

9:30 & 11:30 Platforms
The Stone Soup Celebration is hosted by the SEEK (Sunday Ethical Education for Kids) children and parents. It’s a great story of how we all come together as a community to help each other create something from seemingly nothing. It’s also a time for us to pause and reflect on the abundance in our lives as we host the soup feast, and support families throughout the region through our Giving Tree. (Details about the Giving Tree here.)
The Stone Soup Celebration has four main parts:
  • multigenerational platform services, held at  9:30 and 11:30.
  • a chance to select an ornament from the Giving Tree to buy a gift for a child/adult
  • a shared quiche and pie Stone Soup Brunch after the 9:30 platform and a shared vegan, gluten-free Stone Soup and Lunch after the 11:30 platform.
During the Stone Soup platform services, children will be asked to add a stone and a raw vegetable they brought with them this day. After the 11:30 platform, the Main Hall gets transformed to host a Stone Soup lunch. The bread, cheese, cider, and desserts brought in by everyone along with the soup will be served during this lunch.
Contribute to the brunch by bringing in pie or quiche. Contribute to the lunch according to your last name. Choose the first alphabetically in the family if there is more than one last name for the family. NO TREE NUTS or PEANUTS!!! We have very young children with life-threatening allergic reactions to nuts/peanuts:
  • A-F: Pre-cut dessert – no nuts/peanuts
  • G-K: Pre-sliced bread/rolls – no nuts/peanuts
  • L-Q: Apple cider in jugs
  • R-Z: Pre-sliced cheese for the bread
Children/Youth:
During the platform service, there is audience participation by the children/teens.
  • Each child should bring a fist-sized stone, and
  • Each child should bring one whole, uncooked vegetable (a carrot, a turnip, a rutabaga, etc)
All children/youth after the first platform:
  • All Sunday School families should stay after the 9:30 platform or arrive by 10:45 for the second platform to help with Stone Soup prep and everyone should plan to stay to help with cleanup after the stone soup lunch.  Additional details for children’s roles for during the celebration are detailed below.
Timeline and how it all works:
9:00am – When it All Begins!
  • Cooks arrive (please sign up to cook above). Please remember to bring with you: knives, apron, cutting boards, potholders, disposable gloves/food prep gloves.
9:30am – First Platform Service Begins
  • Bring your pie or quiche for the brunch or your lunch item!
10:30 – 11:30am – Between Platforms activities!
  • Stone Soup Brunch in the Social Hall! Enjoy food together after the first platform.
  • Giving Tree will be ready. Read more about it here.
  • Children and the parents of younger children should be stationed in the downstairs lobby and upstairs kitchenette to prepare the bread, desserts, cheeses, butter, water, and apple cider.
Details for SEEK:
  • K-4th graders (with adult supervision)
Prepare the bread baskets: line each basket with a napkin and arrange a variety of sliced bread and rolls into each basket.
As the bread baskets are prepared, place them on the baker’s rack.
If the bread  is not sliced, a parent or teen should slice any un-sliced bread
  • 5th-6th graders Sliced cheese, parmesan, and butter:
Slice any unsliced cheese. Plate and put the cheese and butter on the baker’s rack. Prep the parmesan cheese:  You will find the parmesan cheese is in the fridge in the kitchen.  Distribute the parmesan cheese among the bowls provided. Put a spoon in each bowl.
Desserts:  Slice any pies or cakes. Put them on the baker’s racks to be brought upstairs once soup has been served.
  • 7th-8th graders
Filling water pitchers: The pitchers are in the upper cabinets on the left in the kitchenette outside of the social hall.  Fill the pitchers first with a bit of ice and then fill with water from the sink in the kitchenette area. Stage them in the kitchenette until they are ready to be brought to the tables.
  • 9th-12th graders  – assist in areas you see need support.
11:30am – Second Platform Service Begins
  • People who attended the 9:30 platform service are welcome to stay during the 11:30 platform and can do one of several things:
  • Help prep remaining items for the Stone Soup lunch
  • Clean up the Stone Soup brunch and ready the Social Hall for lunch
  • Hang out in the local playgrounds and return for the Stone Soup lunch
12:30 – 12:45pm – Readying for Soup!
  • The Main Hall will transform from platform seating to dinner seating. Follow the instructions posted on the walls at the back of the room for main hall set-up. 5 Rows of 4 tables, starting with the middle of the room – then chairs all around. (Social Hall will already be set up)
  • Remember to set up Stage tables as well.
  • Once the Main Hall and Social Hall tables and chairs have been set up, the table settings at the back of the hall should be set up by children, but don’t forget to set the Social Hall tables and tables on stage either!
  • Pre-K should distribute the paper bowls, plates, flatware, and glasses – they will need LOTS of assistance with this from parents (and teens and 6th-8th graders. All these materials will be found at the back of the Main Hall, under a tablecloth.
  • K-4th graders should distribute the bread baskets, spreads, butter, cheese slices, and parmesan cheese which will be brought up from the downstairs lobby.
  • 5th-8th graders should distribute the cider and water pitchers which will be found in the kitchenette and then assist the Pre-K students with distributing the paper bowls, plates, flatware, and glasses.
  • Teen group should be assisting in the kitchen area loading the soups onto a baker’s rack to roll upstairs.
1:00pm:  Lunch Time!
  • Everyone is welcomed back into the Main Hall
  • The Social Hall is available as well for those needing a quieter meal space.
  • Teen group (using potholders) should move the pots of soup to the tables from the baker’s rack.
  • We say a few words of gratitude.
  • We eat our Stone Soup Lunch. Desserts will be available outside the Main Hall around 1:30pm
  • New this year: containers will be available for folks to pack up leftovers to enjoy at home or share with neighbors. Please share the bounty so that it doesn’t go to waste and help others to do so as well.
2:00pm:  Clean up
  • We ask families to assist with cleanup in the main hall (even if you didn’t sign up for this duty online).