Thursday, September 08, 2005

Turning Point - Beginning With What We Have

One of our guiding metaphors or stories is found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The story is about how Jesus took a little boy’s lunch, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his disciples to give to the people that were hungry. The five loaves and two fish were multiplied as the disciples distributed what they had to feed 5000 men and their families.

There are several reasons why we love this story, this miracle of provision. First, we believe that if we bring what we have to Jesus and ask him to feed the hungry, the vulnerable, and the poor, he can and will multiply our resources of money, time, energy, talents, etc. Second, it seems that the multiplication comes as we give, as we distribute, so we don’t always have everything we need to make a big impact. We have learned to be patient and okay with small beginnings. As we begin, even in the smallest of ways, to give out to those in need, the multiplication comes. It has come through partnering with others who care about the issues that face many families without economic access to food, education, life skill training, counseling and more.

Turning Point begins, Sunday, September 11, 2005 with a warm meal. We will serve a free brunch to the Shoreline Community the second Sunday of September, October and November. It is our way of beginning, doing something small to meet a need. A warm meal in a hospitable atmosphere can go a long way for a family that is struggling to make ends meet; next week, more on Turning Point.