Synod cookies are proof: God's church is still baking Written by Tim Kershner June 22, 2007
The local hospitality committee for the UCC's General Synod 26 issued a call to churches to bake cookies for General Synod delegates and guests at their June meeting. A goal of 11,000 dozen cookies was set.
Thankfully, for Synod goers, God is still speaking through God's bakers.
Continuing a General Synod tradition, the Connecticut Conference Hospitality Committee arranged for local churches to bake cookies as a gesture of welcome for the more than 10,000 guests expected at this historic meeting. Cookies came from churches large and small, from towns large and small, baked according to family recipes and church tradition, many with notes of welcome, encouragement and even the occasional recipe attached.
On the morning of June 22, an initial count suggests more than 11,000 dozen cookies have arrived at the Hartford Civic Center. Local volunteers have begun sorting cookies and distributing to varied locations within the giant venue.
Most Synod guests will never see the cookie room, or "cookie central" located on the Civic Center's lower floor. Cookies arrive and are sorted by volunteers like Theresa DeFrancis of the Newington UCC Church. For her, sharing food with these guests is simply usual New England hospitality, though on a grand scale.
"Sharing food and stories" is part of their heritage, she says. She also maintains that the snickerdoodle is the "quintessential Connecticut cookie." Others will dispute this, claiming the tollhouse cookie as the region's signature snack.
Planning for this effort began more than a year ago. But serious baking took place over the past few months. Baked cookies were stored in home and church freezers, waiting for transport this week to one of the collections centers in Willimantic, in Waterbury or in Newington.
Leading this effort is the Rev. Melanie Enfield, associate minister at Newington Church and director of pastoral counseling at the Institute of Living. She is also a parent of teenagers, all of which, she claims, provides useful experience in planning and coordinating such a large effort.
While individuality in baking was encouraged ? could it be any different in New England? ? there were some requests. For dietetic reasons, bakers were asked to consider preparing some of their recipes free of gluten or fat or sugar or nuts. And the committee requested churches pack cookies in rectangular plastic containers, like those used for kitchen leftovers. As a result shortages of plastic containers were reported throughout the state. Enfield said the plastic containers will be returned to churches or used at agencies such as the Connecticut Conference's Silver Lake Center.
By afternoon on June 22, the cookie count hits 14,000 dozen, including a container labeled "Peanut Butter cookies, no nuts." That makes almost 20 cookies for each of the 8,400 delegates and guests present at Hartford.
One message sent with a batch of cookies reads, "And God said to the cookies. . . 'Be delicious and calorie free.' And it was so. Well, miracles do happen. After all, God is still speaking."
And we are still eating.