Waffle House as a House of Prayer?
Mardi Gras is a tradition of music and dancing and feasting that helps people find joy in the world. We could all use a little more joy.
How do you find joy?
Or Grace or Peace for that matter?
It might be as close as the Waffle House. At least that what one Pastor found by holding Bible Study and Office Hours there.
Another woman, Karen Head, found a job as its Poet Laureate. Seriously. Waffle House employs Karen Head as its Poet Laureate. Karen is also a professor of English at Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech and Waffle House have a connection as sticky as syrup. The heads of Waffle House have all been Georgia Tech graduates. The current CEO Walt Ehmer is a Georgia Tech graduate. The former CEO Bert Thornton was a Tech graduate. Karen discovered this talking to Bert at an alumni event. Bert discovered that Georgia Tech has guaranteed admission for any valedictorian or salutatorian in the state of Georgia.
The first year the scholarship was offered, 37 counties did not send a single application. Why? Many students don’t have examples of someone who has gone to college in their families. Karen told the former CEO she didn’t have examples. “I’m a first-gen college student, Neither of my parents graduated high school.” Karen said she wanted to go to rural schools in the most far-flung counties and talk about arts and poetry. “I wanted the students to hear my story about going to college. Bert suggested I write a proposal for the foundation. I asked for a modest grant to cover travel to 12 schools and a poetry competition, which would pay the winner’s tuition to the state’s online college core program. They agreed to fund my idea and mailed me a Waffle House nametag with an official title, Waffle House Poet Laureate. The idea of it has just sort of caught on. People want to tell me their own Waffle House stories. It’s been fascinating.”
Faith might as simple as this…without examples people perish…and with examples people flourish.
May Houses of Prayer use these stories from the Waffle House as guides to prayer.