Food from the Heart

Our church has a ministry called Food from the Heart. It is a monthly meal and Bible study for low income or homeless folks, on a Sunday afternoon. We usually have 20-40 guests. Brian thought this month would be good for his Sunday school class to serve. He's been teaching them how each of us are the body of Christ, each with different talents and abilities, and each equally important. And, regardless of your age, you have a vital role in the church -- some who sing with the band, or work the sound system, or help with the nursery, or clean areas of the church. We need them. And, Brian wanted to help them experience Food from the Heart ministry -- from beginning to end. Brian had the students decide on the entire meal, cook everything (with our supervision of course), serve the food, and clean up. (And, Brian gave the Bible study).

Needless to say, we had a blast working together this past weekend. Saturday night was prep. We had pizza for dinner and got to work making ministrone soup, chicken tetrazini casseroles, salad, bread, and oatmeal fudge bars. It was fun teaching cooking skills. They did great . . . except for accidentally leaving out 5 cupes of flour from the oatmeal fudge bars -- OOPS! I was so worried about our dessert mishap, but as it turned out everyone raved about the warm gooey bars with vanilla ice cream. I guess all the chocolate and butter made up for it!

Let me just tell you, these times are invaluable -- for Brian and myself, and for the kids. We love serving with them, hearing their perspectives, witnessing their zeal, seeing them encourage each other, and unexpectedly hearing how much they appreciate our church and youth group. And, it's a time to remind them why they are serving and helping them to focus on the tasks at hand. God is so good! All the prep and effort was totally worth it!

Here are some pictures . . .

Making some surprise birthday brownies
Brother & Sister debating technique
Gotta love industrial dishwashers
What's cooking without towel wars?
If they have a moment to rest, you'll find them doing silly things . . . like exercising
Pumping out the salad
How many girls does it take to mix iced tea?!!
Taking a break to eat lunch