Hospitality Highlight: Anna Copley and Erin Dougherty

Roommates cultivate Christian community for students

Erin Dougherty and Anna Copley, college roommates and lifelong attenders of Faith Bible Church, are currently serving in the Doxa college ministry. They share an apartment near Gonzaga University, a space they’ve intentionally turned into a hub of community, conversation, and Christ-centered hospitality. Each week, they host a Bible study that brings together students from both Gonzaga University and Spokane Community College.

Their apartment is more than just a place to live—it’s a ministry tool. Cozy and quaint, with quirky art pieces that often spark meaningful conversation, the space reflects their personalities and their purpose. Erin and Anna love opening their home to friends from all walks of life—both churched and unchurched. They see their proximity to campus as a strategic opportunity to invite students into genuine relationships, share the gospel, and enjoy life together in a way that honors God.

Erin is intentional about remembering details from past conversations and preparing thoughtful questions that help guests feel seen and known. Anna, ever the extrovert, finds joy in every opportunity to gather with others. She also has a gift for cooking and enjoys whipping up sweet and savory treats to share. Both credit their hospitality skills to the influence of their mothers, who modeled what it means to welcome others with warmth, generosity, and love.

Anna shared two of her go-to recipes—a savory focaccia and a flaky scone—that are easy to make, shareable, and pantry-friendly. Listen to my interview with Erin and Anna on the Faith Matters podcast.

Focaccia

From the kitchen of Anna Copley, adapted from a New York Times Cooking recipe

The simple yet crowd-pleasing focaccia needs to be prepared a day ahead but requires minimal ingredients and steps. It serves as a perfect base for any herbs or toppings you have on hand, making it as flexible as it is delicious.

Ingredients

3 ¼ cups (415 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon active dry yeast
1 ¾ cups warm water
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
1 ½ teaspoons coarse sea salt

Optional toppings

Whole or chopped fresh rosemary leaves, dried oregano, fennel seeds, or other dried herbs
Garlic butter

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, kosher salt and yeast. Add the warm water to the flour mixture and stir until all the flour is incorporated and a sticky dough forms. (Expect a very wet dough; no kneading required.) Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a medium bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, turn to coat, and cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours or for up to 2 days.
2. When you’re ready to bake, brush the inside of a 9-by-13-inch baking sheet with oil. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and transfer to the prepared pan. Using your hands, spread the dough out as much as possible, adding oil to the dough if needed to keep it from sticking. (Don’t worry if the dough doesn’t yet cover the full pan; it will once it relaxes and rises.) Place the dough in a warm place and let rise until about doubled in volume. When the dough is ready, it should be room temperature, spread out on the sheet and fluffy.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Using your palms, pat down the focaccia to an even thickness of about 1 inch. Using your fingertips, dimple the entire dough thoroughly (like aggressively playing a piano or typing on a keyboard). Drizzle it with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle the entire surface of the focaccia evenly with the sea salt and herbs, if using.
4. Bake, rotating once 180 degrees, until the top is uniformly golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool, then slide focaccia out of the pan. I like to brush the top of the focaccia generously with garlic butter. Enjoy it while it’s warm! (You can wrap leftovers tightly in plastic and store at room temperature for another day.)

Lemon-Blueberry Scones (adapted from a NYT Cooking recipe)

These ultra-buttery scones look like they belong in a bakery window. The recipe uses cold butter and a folding technique that creates delicate, flaky layers. It’s a versatile base that pairs beautifully with your favorite inclusions, sweet or savory. There are also variations for bacon cheddar and cranberry orange scones.

Yield: 9 scones

For the scones

¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 ¼ cups (288 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine salt
½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
½ cup (115 grams) buttermilk, cold
½ cup (115 grams) heavy cream, cold, plus more to brush over the scones
1 lemon
1 cup/8 ounces blueberries (either frozen or fresh will work)

For the glaze (optional)

1 cup (100 grams) confectioners’ sugar
4 to 6 teaspoons whole milk/heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Zest lemon (about 2 teaspoons) into a large bowl. Add the 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar to the zest and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. The mixture will be very moist and fragrant. Add the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine.
3. Add the butter to the bowl and toss to coat in flour. Use your fingers or a pastry blender to work the butter into the flour until it is the texture of small peas. (At this time, also add any dry additions you are making—cheese, bacon bits, cranberries, etc.—and stir to combine). Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the buttermilk and cream. Use a fork to gently stir the mixture into a shaggy dough. (It’s OK if there are a few loose, floury pieces of dough.)
4. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Add about half of the blueberries on top. Fold the dough in half then pat it into a rectangle again. Add remaining blueberries and fold it one more time.
5. Pat the dough into a square that is about 7 inches wide and 1 inch thick, then cut it into 9 pieces. Transfer the pieces to the prepared baking sheet, brush the tops with a bit of cream and sprinkle with more granulated sugar.
6. Bake scones until golden brown and cooked through, 18 to 22 minutes.
7. While the scones are baking, make the glaze. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth, adding more milk as needed to make a thick but pourable glaze.
8. Let the scones cool for about 15 minutes, then drizzle or brush the glaze over the scones. These are best the first day, but you can store any leftover scones in an airtight container for a day or two. They also keep well in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Scone variations

Cranberry-Orange

1 orange (use for zest in step 2)
1 cup (8 ounces) dried cranberries, roughly chopped

In this glaze, omit the vanilla and sub out juice from your zested orange for the milk or cream.

Bacon-Cheddar

Omit zest and glaze and add before buttermilk and cream:

8 ounces bacon bits
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

Jennifer Brandt

Jennifer is the Hospitality Highlight editor for Living Faith magazine. She and her husband Cory have been married since 2018 and serve together in Youth Ministry.

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