Marissa Maharaj/The Falcon Pastor Jason Groenink of First Free Methodist Church plans to offer free dinner every Sunday for college students. SPU’s Gwinn Commons is not open for dinner on Sundays, leaving students with meal plans to fend for themselves.

SPU students with meal plans may wonder what there is to eat when Gwinn is closed on Sunday nights and they're tired of Subway. Being away from home, they may also crave the taste of a home-cooked meal.

First Free Methodist Church on Third Avenue West has come up with a solution for both dilemmas.

Jason Groenink, the new associate pastor of Young Adults and Contemporary Worship, came into his position about two months ago. Upon arriving he heard suggestions that the church could provide dinners to SPU students without Sunday options. Groenink, along with the church, decided to put the idea in motion.

The plan is to have groups of two to six students get together with a family from the congregation who will provide the meals, Groenink said. Students can sign up for the opportunity at the church in the margins of the black guest books in each of the pews, or by contacting Groenink directly.

Students do not have to be church members to sign up.

The church will assign groups of students to different families. After assignments are made, it is the family's responsibility to contact each student and inform them on how to get to their house.

The church has already accounted for students who do not have their own transportation. Many of the congregants' homes are within walking distance of SPU, and if they are not, the church or the families will provide transportation from campus to the designated home.

Many families have already signed up and are eager to host SPU students. It is now students' turn to sign up for this opportunity.

Groenink has also stepped into some classrooms at SPU to raise awareness among the student body.

"I'm excited about this program," SPU freshman Chester Pineda said. "There is something about a home-cooked meal that is more comforting than a mass produced meal at Gwinn."

The church hopes to start the dinners in late October or early November and have the meals once a month, Groenink said. As more students sign up and the details of the dinners finalize, this could become a weekly occurrence.

First Free is now working harder to be a church for the school, and not just a place where Chapel services are held, Groenink said.

Through the Sunday dinner program, the church hopes to build better relationships with the students of SPU and be more involved in student life, he said. The goal is for the church to become a safer atmosphere for students and eventually get students to become involved in different ministries at First Free, such as the children's ministry and worship.

"This is a new program," Groenink said, "but we are committed [to] making this work."

There will also be a one-time pizza night at First Free Methodist Church, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. Food will be free for SPU students only, so students wanting to go should bring their student ID.

Buzzy Ennis, a stand-up comedian, poet, and friend of Groenink's, will come to perform and entertain students at the event.

The new dinner program will also be touched upon at this time.

For more information or to sign up for the Sunday dinner program, e-mail Pastor Jason Groenink at jason@ffmc.org, or call First Free Methodist Church at 206-281-2240 or their campus office at x2240.