Tommie grad hosts last tea time

St. Thomas graduate Loretta Hall hosts tea time each Wednesday in the Anderson Student Center as a way to connect with students. Tea time started last spring as way for Hall and her friends from a semester in Rome “to still continue to hang out,” and from there it evolved into a public weekly occurrence. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)

First-year Hope Bleeker and sophomore Elena Ryan bond during the last tea time of the semester. Bleaker heard about tea time from Hall and said it’s Hall’s way of “evangelizing in a way that (is) very down to earth and connecting with people in a very human way.” (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)

First-year students Mary Ennis and Maggee Becker celebrate Ennis’ birthday at tea time. Tea time is part of Hall’s job as a college missionary for St. Paul’s Outreach. Hall said in hosting tea time she has “the privilege of hanging out with students and sharing life with them.” (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)

Ryan receives birthday wishes from first-year Emily Stearns and St. Paul’s Outreach mission director Colleen Hadsall. The purpose of tea time is “building relationships and walking toward Christ together,” Hall said. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)

First-year Kateri Schmidt sips tea during tea time. Bleeker said she had “never really been a huge fan of tea, but coming (to tea time)” encouraged her to try it. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)

Hall hugs her cousin Ben Hall as he arrives at tea time. Hall brings sets of teacups and a variety of teabags to tea time each week. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)

Sterns pulls her teabag out after it finishes steeping. As she reflected on the impact of tea time in her life, Hall said it had “been a way to build natural relationships with other people.” (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)