Of Friends, Faith & Small Groups

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This past weekend was my husband’s turn to host the annual poker game with his buddies, (one of which is my brother Dean). Each year these 6 guys take turns hosting this memorial poker game. They play in memory of my husband’s college roommate, Sven Slattum. Sven was a tall, good looking, Swede. A gregarious guy who loved life and was a friend to everyone. The guys all tended to gather in Mike and Sven’s room each weekend and more often than not, they ended up playing poker. During our junior year however, tragedy struck. Sven was a passenger in the back seat of a car involved in a serious accident and was in a coma in the hospital. His friends and family rushed to his room and took turns saying good-bye. Tests determined he was brain dead, and the family made the agonizing decision to take him off life support and donate his organs.

This was the first death many of us had faced and it struck hard. Still grieving, the guys decided to get together in honor of Sven and play poker. During this inaugural game, the idea of a scholarship in Sven’s name and an annual memorial poker game was born. For 36 years, the guys have taken turns hosting the game and donating the winnings to the Sven Slattum Memorial scholarship fund at California Lutheran University. This year they mailed a check for $712. They have a traveling trophy that the winner takes home and has engraved, ready to be won again the following year. Next year my brother will host the game at his home in Shasta Lake, CA.

Over the years, the conversations and activities have changed. They don’t play into the early hours of the morning anymore. Talk has gone from girlfriends, weddings, jobs and kids, to aches, pains and medical issues. They have seen each other through marriages, divorces, births, deaths, job loss, and now retirement and surgeries. And always, there is talk of church, faith, scripture and Bible study. While not typical, or overtly religious, this is one example of a small group. A group of friends who get together and hold one another accountable over a specific topic or agenda. We all need that. Over the next few weeks, I will be highlighting different types of small groups that I know about. I hope as you read them, you recognize groups you may already be a part of, or maybe a type of group you’d like to join. And when the time comes, I hope you decide to become a part of a small group here at St. Joes.