As we gathered for World Wide Communion Sunday, the morning after the Celebrating Shuswap Diversity supper, I wanted to leave time and opportunity to talk about the Potluck feast we had shared.  Our tiny crew of workers had connected with The District of Sicamous, the Eagle River Secondary School, the Splatsin Band, Chamber of Commerce, Eagle Valley Resource Centre and others to invite the community to feast and celebrate together.  Forty one people (including baby Elise) came and enjoyed a wonderful meal, with food from Ukraine, India,  Hungary, England, and a number of `fusion’ dishes and wonderful deserts.

The Shuswap Pipes N’ Drums came out in their kilts and played 5 tunes for us, Ali Graham offered three Finnish songs on her mandolin, and the Black & Bluez Band finished off the evening with “What a Wonderful World” and the Argentinian blessing “The Peace of the Earth.”

It was a great first gathering, and several folks expressed interest in helping us do it again next year.  One of the things we did at the supper was to have conversation starter questions  at each table.  On Sunday, during the `sermon/message’ time, the congregation moved their chairs into a circle and we shared the conversation starter  questions with each other.  Funny, touching, and insightful stories were shared.

Here are the questions – feel free to use them over your next supper conversation:

Where/what do you think of when you hear the word `home’?

When did you/your family come to Canada? From where?

What part of your history are you curious to know more about?

Are there any `characters’ in your family tree that stand out for you?

What hopes do you have for Canada in the next 50 years?