The Pancake Party

"Uh, we were told there were pancakes here?”

On a recent roadtrip, my wife Geertje and I visited Lancaster, PA. Our good friend Andrew lives there, who at the time was working as a nurse in the ER.

One of the days, Andrew told us his girlfriend Hope and her roommates were hosting their monthly pancake party at the house that evening, and we were invited.

A pancake party? Count me in!

We showed up to an apartment FULL of people.

Apparently this had been a tradition for a few years.

It was iconic!

The only plan was pancakes.

Invite anyone you want.

The house smelled of bacon, syrup, and coffee. We waltzed through the living room where people were standing, sitting, being wherever there was room.

As it turned out, most of them didn’t know most of the people, and they all were sharing how they got invited/who invited them.

One couple came in at dusk and said,

"Uh, we were told there were pancakes here?”

Being near the door when they arrived, I was the first to greet them.

“You bet!”

Later, I walked into the kitchen and asked if they needed help.

The kitchen was pumping out goodness. I volunteered some time flipping pancakes and got to know one of the roommates, Malia.

We danced to music, swapped stories, and churned out pancakes.

As I walked around to pass out the goods, I heard people sharing stories, asking questions, and getting to know each other. One girl was in tears on the couch, talking to a couple, being encouraged by their words of comfort. Others were sitting on the grass out back, laughing and eating.

As Geertje and I sat in the car afterwards, we drove away and marveled at how special the night had been, and how simple it was.

When I think of good community and hospitality, I think of the pancake party and the four roommates that made the tradition.

I’m sure, by the end of the night, there was a good amount of syrup on the floor and chocolate chips in the couch.

But they didn’t seem to mind.

Here’s what I learned from the Pancake Party:

• Community always begins with an invitation.

• Community thrives around hospitality.

• Community enriches everyone’s lives.

Some themes I learned on how to create community in your home:

• Make it an ongoing tradition

• Make it open invite

• Give it a theme (even just pancakes is enough), it helps us connect over a shared interest/topic

• Its a success even if there’s just you and one more person.

When you think of community and gatherings, what inspires you?

Let me know in the comments, and thanks for tagging along! Make some pancakes!

-Josh Caliguire