Adult Lounge Kitchen: Now operating on a sharing economy!

A small and mighty group gathered earlier this summer to clean up the mechanical room (a big storage room in the lower level). We had a good time wondering about the origins of various carnival games from 20 years ago, as well as noticing how both congregations seem to have an affection for celebrating important milestones with coffee mugs (and then saving the leftover mugs for many decades!). We also consolidated some of our wealth of board games and other supplies onto a shared shelf for use by either congregation.

Buoyed by our success, some of us gathered again to tackle the adult lounge kitchen! Since this space is much less hidden away, we wanted to share two big upgrades to our common life where it counts the most (coffee and snacks!).

First of all, there is now a full set of washable dishes in the adult lounge, including silverware and a vast collection of celebratory coffee mugs! Anyone who uses this building can use these dishes, so long as you wash them afterward. They’re lightweight, and we have a super-speedy dishwasher in the social hall that has printed instructions on the front. Grab a cart and do a small thing to improve the planet!

We’ve also put all of our coffee supplies and disposable dishes/cutlery together in a single cabinet, and we’ll be getting some larger carafes that fit both congregations’ needs a little better. We’ll reassess in a few months to see if we can improve and consolidate our systems around disposable dishes and cutlery for the times those are needed.

Shannon Hall (TBE Executive Director) said:

These projects created an opportunity to make our space more functional while also strengthening relationships within the congregations.

The conversations and decisions throughout the cleanout were guided with the desire to understand, kindness, and responsible use of our resources. While it may seem like a small step, it reflects meaningful growth—from keeping everything separate and under lock and key to working together with greater trust, collaboration, and a sense of community.

If you have questions or see ways this system could be improved for your group, let a member of your congregational staff know!