But Jesus said to them, “There’s no need to send them away. You give them something to eat.”
Matthew 14:16 (CEB)
Today, I am grateful that The United Methodist Church has taught me to impact the communities in which we are planted.
Every United Methodist Church that I've been a part of has made a difference to the towns, cities and neighborhoods where they were located.
In Piedmont, I was delighted to have lunch provided every Wednesday for the Senior citizens of the community at our church. We did not have a senior citizens' center in our town and our church functioned as such on Wednesdays. Many would come out and play cards or dominoes together before lunch was served. If you know me, you know that I also would pull up a chair and eat with them each week - even though I was not a senior, I was a pastor and the only pastor that some of these folks had.
I learned their stories - we had veterans that had served during World War II - and because I was appointed there so many years, I was able to relate some of these stories back to the congregation at their funeral services.
The architect of this ministry was Evelyn Munsell who passed away in 2021. She originally started it with the aid of the government which provided the lunches from Redlands College in El Reno. These meals were prepared with nutrition in mind and were mostly pretty good except for the "Copper Pennies". These were cooked carrots that were served cold and I never could get an appetite for them. In fact, Don and Billie McMillan who always helped serve the meals seemed to take special delight in seeing my displeasure when those turned up on the menu!
At some point, the government program was discontinued but Evelyn did not let this stop a good thing. We started preparing our own meals at the church and while they may not have been technically as healthy as before, the quality of taste went up immensely!
There were so many good folks who helped with this ministry. I know it made a difference in Piedmont to all the people who were able to find a wider family. Some had relatives nearby but others' families were far away. The widows and widowers found community and comfort from those who had previously lost their spouses. It was a way to belong to something bigger.
What are ways that your church has made an impact in the community you live in? What about the place where you grew up? How might God be calling you to be involved in people's lives today?
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| Here's a great picture of Evelyn serving the Redlands meals |
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