Super Bowl Sunday is still a Sunday: Area churches plan evangelical events for Superbowl Sunday

Is it Super or "Souper" Bowl Sunday? It all depends on your perspective. As loyal football fans hunker down in front of their TV sets Feb. 3, area churches see the game as an opportunity for fellowship and giving. It's a reminder that there are those who don't even have a bowl of soup to eat.

The House of Hope, an outreach of Cape First, sponsors a neighborhood get-together at 1000 Ranney Ave. each year. It's open to everyone. They hope that youths and adults alike will come to watch the Super Bowl, enjoy refreshments and socialize. The church is providing free nachos and chili, and people can also bring a dish if they like.

The church offers a gospel presentation during halftime. It's usually an audiovisual of the testimony of an NFL player or coach.

"We hope that watching the Super Bowl in such an environment will encourage people to come to church and hear about Christ," said pastor Blake Tiemann.

Souper Bowl Sunday is the name First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau has given to the day. And soup is what's served in the activity center while the football game flashes on a big screen. Everyone attending is asked to bring some kind of soup.

"It's a great time for fellowship within the church and among friends," church secretary Sheila Faire said.

First Baptist has held the event numerous times. Church members are also requested to supply cans of soup to donate to the FISH organization in Cape. Linda Dirden, ministry assistant, said she likes watching the game with others for the camaraderie.

"I doubt I would even watch it at home by myself," she said. "I don't know that much about football."

Cape Bible Chapel has a different slant on celebrating Super Bowl Sunday with its focus on youth. Being involved with the Bible Chapel's Youth Ministry, Patrick Tankersley said the youths will start the party by playing football.

"Their party starts at 5:30, and we watch the Super Bowl together, hang out and eat," he said.

Cape Bible Chapel also has a Super Bowl party for college-age youth. This year it's at the home of Scott and Lisa Coleman. Starting at 5 p.m., the youth will gather to watch the game and enjoy food prepared by adult leaders, along with other snacks. Fifty to 60 youths usually attend youth meetings each week. Organizers hope Super Bowl friends will come back to join the regulars.

St. Andrew Lutheran Church works up to Super Bowl Sunday with a series of five sermons on five challenges facing Cape Girardeau's residents. Pastor Paul Short will use Super Bowl Sunday to present the final message, "Developing a Super Charged Attitude Toward Life."

The youth at Grace United Methodist are trying to unite adults and youth and show that adults and youth need to stand together. They hope families will congregate at the Church Youth House to watch the Super Bowl and enjoy finger foods and snacks.

Grace is especially striving to increase awareness of and help eliminate hunger. A collection is taken for three weeks before and ends Super Bowl Sunday. The funds are used to buy food and contribute to a local food pantry alerting people that hunger resides right here at home -- not just in Third World countries.

Youth minister Joshua Smith quoted Luke 14: 16-24, which tells of the man whose invitations to his great feast were rejected by the "important people." Angrily, he told his slave to "go out into the streets and invite the poor, the maimed and the blind."

"We need to look around us and do the same," Smith said.

Ellen Shuck is a freelance writer for the Southeast Missourian.