The scent got Alec Wiedeman’s attention even before he reached the front door.

Once inside, his eyes lit up and he followed his nose.

“Hamburgers!” Wiedeman called out. “Oh my God! I smell them!”

The burgers were an unexpected surprise for Wiedeman and other Oak Harbor High School students who find Oak Harbor Lutheran Church a welcome place to set down their backpacks, grab a snack and unwind one afternoon a week.

Since 2008, the church has opened its doors and spread goodwill this way, giving students, many of them athletes, a place to land on Monday afternoons when school is dismissed at 1:15 p.m., an hour earlier than other days.

Calling it “Munchy Monday,” the church provides students a place to hang out, eat snacks, shoot baskets, toss around a football, play chess, table tennis and pool, or simply curl up on a couch and study for an hour before it’s time to return to school for practice or head home.

It’s not uncommon for more than 100 students to arrive at the church, which is located directly across the street from the high school grounds near Wildcat Memorial Stadium.

Church members, most of them retired, run the program, donating their time, food and drinks to make the students feel at home.

Monday’s barbecue was a signature event that comes near the end of the school year. Ordinarily, lighter snacks and refreshments are provided, but this week brought out cake and burgers, celebrating another year of the program’s success.

Despite the large number of participants, students rarely act out or misbehave, according to Mark Stroud, associate pastor at the church.

“They seem to respect the grounds,” he said.

Stroud said he and lead pastor Jeff Spencer largely stay out of the way and let church members run the program.

The church’s congregation sets aside some money each year to fund the event, however the majority of the snacks are brought in weekly by members who come to volunteer their services, Stroud said.

The goal is to have one adult chaperone for every 10 teenagers to provide adequate supervision.

Some of the volunteers look forward to the experience as much as the students.

“This keeps us out of trouble,” D.J. Johnson joked.

On Monday, Johnson was stationed beside Tom Coe near the entrance of the recreation room where they intently watched sophomores Camron Robards and Tyler Talkington engaged in a game of pool.

“Nobody talks about religion,” Coe said. “You’re here to have a good time.”

Soon after 1:15 p.m., the peaceful quiet inside the church was replaced by the voices of students excited to grab a quick bite, then burn some of that energy outdoors. A basketball court out back is popular as is a field where pickup football games take place.

Some students on Monday turned to a game of chess or sat and read.

“I think it’s really nice,” said Wiedeman, a freshman. “It gives us a lot of time to unwind.”

“It’s nice of them to give us time to band together,” said Garrett Stahl, a junior.

Dymond Piper, who moved to Oak Harbor this school year, said he learned quickly about “Munchy Monday” from his wrestling teammates.

“I was like, ‘Munchy Monday?’” he said.

Piper said students try to keep their behavior in check out of respect for the generosity shown by the church and its members who always seem to be in a good mood.

“They’re all really happy,” Piper said.

Coe said he is encouraged by what he sees.

“This high school turns out a lot of nice young people,” Coe said.

“I’ve worked with kids most of my life. I had four of my own.”

“This is compassion ministry,” said Tom Piper, one of about two dozen church members who came Monday to help. “The whole idea is to have a safe place to go off-campus for one hour when they do have to leave school.”

“We see it as meeting a need in our community, for our neighbors,” Spencer said. “These students literally are our neighbors. They have this unstructured time and we’re able to fill it with a safe place.

“Providing a safe place for neighbors is what this ministry is all about.”

Beth Stephens serves as the coordinator for “Munchy Monday,” which has evolved from its roots in 2008 when a former youth pastor, Keith Snavely, started the program as “Mocha Monday.”

The old espresso machine is still around somewhere, Stroud said, but has been replaced by cookies, chips, sandwich wedges prepared by Joanne Korengo and fresh vegetables.

The drink of choice is now chocolate milk, but regulars just ask for “the usual,” to score points with Allan Swan, the beverage server and a retired Presbyterian pastor.

“I go through two-and-a-half to three gallons of chocolate milk,” Swan said.

As many as 140 students have attended “Munchy Monday” with 104 walking through the door this week.

Although the barbecue traditionally marks the final event of the year, the church will conclude this year’s program June 8.

“We’re going to be lost now for three months,” Coe said.

Not entirely.

As soon as Robards and Talkington set down their pool sticks and packed up shortly after 2 p.m., Johnson spotted an empty recreation center and an opportunity.

“Now we get time for a game,” he said.