FEEDING THE HUNGRY, NOURISHING THE SOUL
When we think about feeding the hungry, we might think of our community meals or Christmas Day dinner but it encompasses so much more than that. I believe that a more accurate term would be food ministry because it not only feeds the body but it also feeds the soul. Here at St. Andrew’s we have a community meal the first Monday of every month. A Christmas Day dinner open to anyone in the community. A collection once a month so Shippensburg Produce Outreach can purchase eggs and we give money and collect food items for Kings Kettle our local food bank. We also have many events for our own enjoyment like potluck dinners, Strove Tuesday, the western bar-b-que, and St Andrew’s feast. When asked we have also held wedding and funeral receptions and provided food for other special events. All of this feeds the body but it also nourishes the soul.
Our community meal is part of a larger program of many churches in Shippensburg who provide a meal just about every weekday evening. The first Monday of every month one of our six teams prepares and serves a meal to an average of fifty people. Some of these people are the working poor, some have special needs and cannot prepare a good meal for themselves and some are alone and just need someone to talk too. Many of the people that take advantage of the community meal program have become just like a large family, gathering each night for a meal and isn’t it what these dinners are all about. To not only nourish the body but also the soul. Mother Betsy once described this as an extension of our communion table. The meal being like the bread and wine we serve each other every Sunday. More than just food,we are serving Gods love with every meal.
The Christmas Day dinner was stated eight years ago by Father Ted Babcock, who was our rector at the time. Instead of having a Christmas Day service, he wanted to have a dinner for anyone who would be alone or could not prepare a traditional Christmas meal. He wanted to show Christ’s love to the world and bring people hope. I remember one family, a man and four children who came one year. He had recently lost everything, his wife, home and most of their belongings, they had been living out of a van. We talked to them, served them a meal and made sure they had extras to take with them. The next year he came back with his four children, he had gotten a job, a place to live, the kids were in school and one had been accepted into a college. He told us how we had made a different in his and his children s lives and had given him hope. There are many stories like this, the dinner is not about the food, it’s about caring enough to give hope and love to people that need it most. I believe our Christmas Day Dinner shows our guests just how much we care, we make them feel special on the one day that everyone should feel happy and cared for. It goes beyond that, even though it can be hard work the Holy Spirit gives us the energy to do the work we need to do and we leave feeling good about ourselves, the church and the God we serve.
Shippensburg Produce Outreach and The King’s Kettle Food Bank has been part of our outreach program and food ministry for a long time. We have collected food items and donated them to the King’s Kettle since they started and it is one of the easiest projects we do. All of us shops for food , just keep in mind what the food item of the month is and pick up a couple of boxes or cans. Just think, if every family bought one extra food item each week( it doesn’t have to be the food of the month) and put it in the blue tub in the PLC, it would be enough to help two hundred families. Shippensburg Produce Outreach was started in part by our own Deacon Wanda Klosa. She saw a need for families being served by Kings Kettle to have fresh fruits and vegetables and SPO was started. For our part we take up a special collection every third Sunday and we have committed ourselves to raise seventy-five dollars each month for the purchase of fresh eggs. If you have a vegetable garden you can also grow a row for SPO, another thing Deacon Wanda came up with. Just plant an extra row or two and donate your surplus, any amount and any kind of vegetable will be appreciated.
When it comes to our food ministry for outreach projects there is a lot more that we can do. We used to bake bread for people living at the Episcopal Square, it would be nice to see that started again. We have had fund raising dinners for Women in Need but these could be done for just about any charity.
Do you like to bake pies, cakes, cupcakes, or cookies, these are a luxury to many people living alone or single parents. Why not start a baking team, maybe two or more and have some friendly competition, have some fun and make a lot of people very happy. There are funds available from the diocese through their Feed My Sheep ministry for equipment and supplies, so come up with some ideas.
How can you help. Start by signing up to help at the Christmas Day Dinner. Join one of the Community Meal Teams or start your own, we can always use extra help and with more teams we could take on another day. Purchase an extra food item for Kings Kettle and next spring grow an extra row for SPO. Kings Kettle and SPO can always use extra help, check out their websites or stop by any Tuesday. Our kitchen is equipped with three large ovens, a six burner gas stove , grill, steam table, a double door refrigerator, a large freezer, microwave, ice machine, and more, lets think of new ways to use it to help others. Have a question or idea call, e-mail or see me on Sunday I would be glad to help.