On Saturday, April 30, 2022, St. Dunstan’s, Houston, hosted their 1st annual Holy Smokes! BBQ Cook Off.
At this event, 13 ministry teams cooked food to serve over 200 people in the community. Each guest tasted bite sized samples from each team and voted for their favorite in the following categories: beef, pork, poultry, and other.
Children were invited to visit the Spad Ranch chuck wagon, fire truck, playgrounds, sidewalk chalk art space, bounce house and grassy ball field. Music, dancing, and laughter was plentiful throughout the day. Additionally, the Pastoral Care Team had a tent at the event to pray for anyone that needed prayers. The Prayer Tent was well received by the community.
Winners in each Cook Off category got to take home bragging rights and a golden, silver or copper painted cow, chicken, pig, or Mr. Potato Head. You can find the list of winners here.
Parishioners at St. Dunstan’s have committed to an Invite, Welcome, Connect program to help them share their faith with the surrounding communities. As a result, the Rev. Roman Roldan, rector of the church, came up with the idea for the Cook Off to connect with the larger community.
Many of St. Dunstan’s members personally invited friends, co-workers, and family. Some invited strangers by way of a flyer or ministry business card (they called it a “Moo card”). The event planning was led by Mother Beth Anne Nelson as part of her curate training at St. Dunstan’s.
With large events planned for this fall, St. Dunstan’s continues to be “Rooted in faith, Growing in community”.
