It was the rootinest tootinest cowboy chili/soup cookoff of all time this October. At high noon, Christianity Today employees gathered on the front lawn in their western wear to sample eight chili and five soup entries. Topping their heaping bowls with homemade cornbread, kickin' onions, and plenty of cheese, employees soaked up the unseasonably warm weather and guessed which entries might win.

Some might wonder why we make time for this annual competition. After all, it takes up several hours on a workday and requires some strategic placement of electrical strips. One reason is that it's hard to pass up an opportunity for chili. But a more important reason is that it builds community here at Christianity Today.

As a ministry, we value community among employees. Our busy workloads, though, keep us typing away in our offices much of the time. The annual chili/soup cookoff is one of several events that invite everyone out of their offices to gather, laugh, and, of course, eat. It's fun to catch up with employees who work on different brands, to congratulate team members on a job well done, and to get to know some of the people you don't have the pleasure of working with. It's common to see people from all areas of the ministry sitting together at picnic tables, sharing notes on their favorite soup entries.

Plus, it allows employees to be creative in ways unrelated to their work. One person created fun signs to publicize the event around the office, another created a cowboy-inspired playlist, and many got to show off their culinary skills. Who would have guessed that three of the winners work in our IT department? There's a lot of talent there!

With wildly different entries ranging in ingredients and spice level, it can be difficult to pinpoint the best chili or soup. After all, a chicken and beans white chili is vastly different from a spicy chili with chorizo and pork or a smoky sweet chili featuring peach salsa. But what would a cookoff be without voting and exciting prizes?

This year the winners in the soup category were Matt Wistrand with "Elysian Demise of Wendolene Ramsbottom," Val Broucek with "Creamy Piquillo Pepper and Chickpea Soup with Chicken," and Matt Woodley with "Andouille Sausage and Squash Stew."

The winners in the chili category were Dave Dougherty with "Scrumptious," Laura Leonard with "Spicy Smokey Pork 'n' Peach Chili," and Kevin Emmert with "Hillbilly Jumble."

Each of the winners received a prize of gourmet cooking accessories.

With October well behind us, we're left to dream about next year's chili cookoff—and to find a recipe that might upstage the winners. Regardless of who wins, though, we'll all look forward to gathering together as a whole ministry to build community over bowls of chili.