Putting Love into Action through Rachel's Kitchen

About two months ago I received an email from Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, episcopal leader of the Boston area. He and his wife, Prema, had just volunteered at Rachel’s Kitchen (pictured above with Pastor Earl Dionne and Barbara Loyer), which is housed at the Rachel S. Harlow United Methodist Church in Windsor, Vermont. The Bishop shared with me that the pastor, Earl Dionne, had read my book, A Missionary Mindset, and that it had helped him discover the mission that became Rachel’s Kitchen, a ministry that provides breakfast five times a week in an area of the country where food insecurity is prevalent.

One seldom knows the impact a book might have and so it is a special serendipity that the Bishop shared his experience. Upon arriving at the Windsor church, Prema Devadhar pitched right in, cooking up pancakes on the griddle. The bishop engaged in conversation with those who came for breakfast, including many children. When school is out, as it was in August when the Devadhars volunteered, children don’t have the one nutritious meal provided at lunchtime.

Providing food is important. Studies indicate that 12 percent of people living in Windsor county, Vermont, experience food insecurity. But Rachel’s Kitchen provides something more: a sense of community. There are many regulars among the 52 or so people who come for breakfast Monday through Friday, from 6:45 to 10:30 am. The regulars know each other on a first name basis. They look forward to seeing one another.

As reported in a local newspaper, Valley News, Rachel’s Kitchen is a large room with a kitchen next to it below the worship space of the United Methodist Church, located at 165 Main Street in Windsor. They serve fruit, coffee, juices, muffins and pancakes. One regular attender stops in on his way to work. “I sure like the coffee and muffins,” he said. “It’s company, too” (Liz Sauchelli, “Windsor Church Builds Community, One Morning at a Time,” Valley News, Saturday, December 09, 2017).

Pastor Dionne said that as Christians, “We put our love into action.” In a telephone conversation, Pastor Dionne shared that he was in the hospital getting treatment for cancer, when he started reading A Missionary Mindset. It was one of the books that Bishop Devadhar had urged people in the New England Conference to read. He found in it guidance for becoming grounded in the Christian faith while discerning the mission to which God calls us. “The book served as a handbook for how to go about doing our mission,” said Dionne. Its focus on humility, love, and trust in God helped him find the happy medium of being a witness to his faith without proselytizing or making people feel uncomfortable.

“Mission comes in many shapes and sizes,” said Dionne. “As disciples we are there for others and we live out the love of God for others. For some it may mean providing drinkable water, for us it is offering a good breakfast and a sense of community.”

Because of too few volunteers, Dionne and church member, Barbara Loyer, felt burned out and decided to shut down the kitchen last June 1. A local hospital, Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center, along with other concerned citizens, sought a way to re-open it. Several important donations came forth and Rachel’s Kitchen re-opened two weeks later. “We were able to fix the financial shortfall,” said Pastor Dionne. “But we still need volunteers.”

They seek a sustainable future with donations and volunteers so that Windsor and surrounding counties can count on a safe space to be in community with each other and to get a good breakfast.

Pastor Dionne’s cancer is in remission and he volunteers at Rachel’s Kitchen several times a week along with his faithful church member, Barbara. He keeps a copy of A Missionary Mindset on a shelf near his desk. “I often take it down from the shelf and re-read chapters. It has become a manual on mission for me.” While those words comfort the author, learning what Pastor Dionne has done in getting Rachel’s Kitchen going, is by far the more satisfying and rewarding news.

Find out how to support Rachel’s Kitchen by visiting their Facebook page.

Incorporating New Church Principles into an Existing Congregation: 6 lessons from Simply Grace Church

Incorporating New Church Principles into an Existing Congregation

6 lessons from Simply Grace Church

from the series: "Going Deeper As We Go Wider"

In May of last year, I had the privilege of interviewing Eric Drew, Director of Worship for the Connectional Ministries’ Team in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference. Eric himself has recently released an album of songs that are richly blessing worshipers. These are available at www.ericdrewmusic.com. My favorite of the songs is “Center of it All.” Hear it on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XwbWt2-uPY.

I asked Eric to identify bright spots of ministry that he has witnessed since coming on staff. Among the ministries mentioned, he talked about Simply Grace, a United Methodist community of faith in Bloomsbury, New Jersey, and their pastor, Gina Yeske. Gina now serves as Director of Small Groups for the conference.  Gina helped lead Simply Grace from an average worship attendance of 17, when she became pastor in 2005, to more than 95 today.

Gina, and her husband, Steve, were part of one of the first “Lay Missionary Planting Network” classes. Greater New Jersey helped pilot the initiative in 2010-11. The class emphasizes how laity can be proactive in creating new places for new people in the life of the church. The first session is entitled, “Church Planting 101.” From my interview with Eric, I learned six key principles that Gina lived out in ministry and that could help smaller churches everywhere. The principles are associated with starting new faith communities but can easily be incorporated into the life of existing churches.

1. Deep Listening. Gina is a deep listener. Whether meeting up with new people at the pizza place or visiting with a first-time worshiper, Gina takes the time to get to know people. When meeting with persons new to worship, she discovered that two regular attenders were professional musicians. Once she built a relationship with them, she invited them to help form a worship band. This is not a high production band with bells and whistles. It is a band that plays music well and helps lead vibrant worship. Gina’s gift for connecting with younger people helped bring new life into the life of her community of faith without leaving behind the folks who had been there. 
2.  Following a Process. The church followed the process outlined in the first edition of the book, Roadmap to Renewal, which has now come out in a revised edition with study guide. Gina worked with laity to gain clarity on the vision and mission God was calling their church to be at this time in its history. They received coaching help from Paul Nixon as they lived into the implementation of their plan. A major part of the plan involved rebranding the church from Bloomsbury UMC to Simply Grace, a United Methodist Faith Community. A church name, they reasoned, becomes the first opportunity to cast vision. Rebranding to “Simply Grace” marked a shift in the congregation’s outlook and missional emphasis. It was the fruit of a process they embarked on and saw through toward the articulation of a new direction for mission and ministry.     
3.  Having Patience. The process of transitioning and renewing the congregation did not happen overnight. It took several years to articulate a plan and to begin its implementation. It took patience to live into the new vision and mission of their ministry action plan and to begin to see the fruit of their changes. Most of the Bloomsbury UMC members were on board with changes happening, but not all. Several members, including those who were big financial supporters, left the church because of the rebranding. When more and more younger people became part of Simply Grace, they knew they were on the right track and that the changes were necessary to go into a new direction. Eric Drew commented, “It seems every time I worship at Simply Grace there is a baby being baptized.” Indeed, 19 infant baptisms have been celebrated over the past 12 months. 
4.  Gaining Clarity. The vision the church articulated in the process of renewal was: “To transform their church into a place that will make a difference in the lives of those in their community, region, and the world.” Their mission began at home. You don’t have to be a large membership church to reach out to people in your community. Gina led her congregation in an intentional outreach with an elementary school located directly across the street from Simply Grace. Gina organized laity from the church and together they began to offer a free program for students from the Elementary School. At no charge to the families, students spend two hours after school in crafts and activities led by the volunteers and by enjoying tasty snacks. 20-40 students participate. The relationships built with those families helped make a positive name for the church. In addition, Simply Grace makes regular visits to Honduras where they relate to people in that country and provide meaningful ministry for a week at a time during the summer. 
5.  Living Authentic Relationships. Gina and Steve used to be in the food catering business. They love to cook. One of the ways they connected to young adults was by inviting them over to their house for a cook-out. Younger people experience Gina and Steve as real and caring. They create a space that is inviting and comfortable to younger people. It all starts with being authentic. Eric Drew commented, “I never thought it could work, but they actually take a “halftime” in the middle of worship to invite people to fellowship with one another and have a cup of coffee or tea. They are invited to re-enter the worship center with their coffee!” They created an inviting space where younger people, many of whom had never been a part of a Christian faith community, could feel at home. There is an authentic sense of comfort and acceptance that is felt by worshipers. 
6.  Empowering laity. When Gina invites a person to share his or her gifts in the ministry of Simply Grace, she doesn’t stop with the invitation. She walks with them as they live into their service, providing guidance and encouragement. She helps people take logical steps toward becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus. She discerns how best to empower them so that they use their God given gifts fruitfully in the life of the faith community. She and lay leaders have been intentional about accompanying newcomers in their faith journey. We call this an intentional discipleship system (#SeeAllThePeople) that meets the needs of the people. It is a way to see all the people in one’s community and build a bridge of love between the church and the people.

I have always affirmed that new church planting is the “research and development” department of the Church. We can see how Pastor Gina Yeske, together with her husband, Steve, and other lay members of Simply Grace, implemented learnings from church planting into the life of a congregation that had been around for more than 180 years. Theirs was a way to see all the people (#SeeAllThePeople) in their community and to work with laity to bring about renewal to a congregation. There is a lot that churches small and not so small can learn from their experience.