Holdenville Souper Bowl

On February 1st, members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Holdenville hosted a community event—a Soup Contest dubbed the “Souper Bowl,” cleverly timed alongside the upcoming Super Bowl. The event drew over 30 attendees and featured a variety of soups contributed by local groups, including the local Methodist Church, Legacy Church in Holdenville, St. Mark's in Seminole, and 10 other generous submissions from community members across Holdenville.

The event's primary goal was to open the doors of St. Paul's to the community to foster the spirit of friendship, celebrate diversity and build partnerships with other small churches in their community.

In keeping with this spirit, Legacy Church graciously provided door prizes for attendees. St. Paul's and Legacy have participated in joint events in the past. Both churches are small and have limited volunteers and resources to provide events on their own. 

The Rev. Cyntha Gilks-Ayers, Vicar of St. Paul’s reflected on a memorable moment from the event, “the highlight for us was to see attendees eat together, enjoy the different soup recipes and to remain afterwards to visit, laugh, build new friendships and renew old friendships. We also enjoyed the excitement as the door prize drawing started.”

Pastor Kathy Radach helped secure funding for the event through a Thrivent grant, which helped cover costs for supplies and advertising. Thrivent, an investment organization originally for Lutherans but now open to all Christians, offers each member two grants per year—$250 each—for local projects instead of paying dividends. The event was promoted in local newspapers, on Facebook, and through announcements at town meetings, ensuring broad community participation.Special shoutout to Lori Middleton, Angie and Joe Durbin and all who made the event possible. 

Congratulations to Elaine Nelson from St. Mark’s Seminole who took First Place!