In September of 2025, Eureka College athletic intern Nora Robinson and the Eureka Christian Church began hosting monthly Sunday Suppers as a way to connect students to the town of Eureka.
Robinson grew up in the town of Eureka and has been attending Eureka Christian Church with her family since elementary school. Robinson began interning for Student Athlete Wellbeing in the fall of 2025 as a part of her master’s program. Within her internship, Robinson worked to help student-athletes adjust to college, and worked to coordinate mental health training for coaches amidst the rise in student athletes struggling with mental health.
The idea initially started as a Spaghetti Supper get-together to help students adjust and get more involved with the town of Eureka, but moved to Sunday Suppers in order to expand to feature more events, such as a chili cook-off, so students can have a variety of free meals while interacting with various members of the community.
Robinson initially came up with the idea for these suppers based on feedback from the student athletes of Eureka, who expressed a desire to connect with the community outside of the college.
“What I heard from students were a number of different things, but one of the big things for incoming students was that they saw a lot of homesickness in 1st and 2nd year students, and I also had people say we really want to be involved with the community,” Robinson said.
Elijah Dew, junior, has been involved with the Disciples of Christ church his entire life. Dew’s mother is an associate minister in the Disciples church in El Reno, OK, which led Dew to heavy church involvement his entire life. He currently works as Youth Ministry Intern at the Eureka location.
Dew, as a student of Eureka and an employee of the church, has attended several of these suppers. “I think it’s a great way to get engagement with the community up and going. As someone who’s [coming from] out of state, I was kind of surprised how much the school isn’t supported by the community sometimes,” Dew said.
Eureka Christian Church is a Disciples of Christ denominational church, directly connected to the religious background of Eureka. As an open & affirming congregation, ECC welcomes everyone, which allows students to visit for supper to find individuals like them, as well as providing a safe space outside of campus.
“I knew, having been a member of the church, that the church really wanted to be more connected to the college as well,” Robinson said.
Eureka College founders were members of the Disciples of Christ church, so the tie to the church isn’t new. Their outreach to the college, however, works to strengthen the lasting bond, as well as support their values as a greater institution and support current and future EC students.
An article posted by Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education explores the importance of community engagement for college students, stressing how exchanges of this nature can be beneficial for both parties involved. Carnegie classifies certain campuses which are exemplary for their commitment to community engagement.
Community engagement can benefit students by giving them resources which may not otherwise be available to them, as well as providing them with a space outside of their typical routine.
“When you’re at college, that’s your home for however many years you’re there. If you don’t take it upon yourself to find some sort of connection, you’re not going to have that sense of home, and it’s going to be kind of just a place that you are for a while,” Robinson said.
These suppers work to combat the homesickness which Robinson saw in many of the 1st and 2nd year students by offering them a place to talk and connect with others who may understand the challenges they face when adjusting to college, or offer conversation as a distraction.
Additionally, the suppers serve as a way for students outside of their typical groups to interact. “It allows for a low pressure third space for students to interact in a casual way,” Dew said.
Previously, Dew expressed disappointment with the lack of town engagement with the college. While there are ways for students to get involved in the greater Eureka area, such as service projects in JCR courses, Dew, along with many others, wishes there were more opportunities for students to get off campus and connect.
“We try to pride ourselves on being a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world, which means be kind to everybody,” Dew said. If more areas of the community were connected with the college, Dew believes a greater bond could be established.
The next Sunday Supper will be held on Sunday, February 22nd for any interested students.
