A Virginia pastor's innovative approach to his church group's holiday potluck has taken social media by storm, garnering millions of views and thousands of enthusiastic comments. Rob Shepherd of Next Level Church in Yorktown, Virginia, shared his unique "Soup-mas" gathering online, where attendees brought a variety of soups to sample using muffin tins for easy tasting.
The idea, credited to Shepherd's wife, Monica, stemmed from a desire to try something different from the usual potluck fare. Each of the six couples in their small group contributed, with five bringing soups and one providing dessert. The soups included tomato, vegetable, broccoli cheese, sausage tortellini, and chicken tortilla, served in muffin tins for convenient sampling. Shepherd's personal favorite was the broccoli cheese.
Shepherd's TikTok and Instagram posts about the Soup-mas party unexpectedly went viral, amassing 3 million views on TikTok and 3.9 million on Instagram. His Instagram following exploded from 1,500 to 15,000 after the video. The positive response has been overwhelming, with comments praising the idea as "cheap, easy, and a fun way to get the family together." One commenter even expressed their desire for new friends to replicate the soup-centric gathering.
Shepherd, who started posting on TikTok in 2020 to share positive content, has been pleasantly surprised by the widespread reach of his Soup-mas post, with friends contacting him to share how their own acquaintances have sent them the video. He describes the entire experience as "fun."
