Long before I came to Bethesda I read an article that talked about how churches who regularly come together and ate were more welcoming and more creative. These churches who gathered around tables for meals were relationally closer. They listened better and, ultimately, they discerned the will of God more faithfully.
The more opportunities that we have here at Bethesda to gather around food, the more I see this conclusion being proven true.
For the last month, Bethesda gathered resources, cans of food, boxed food, money to purchase frozen food. We planned and we got excited. Then it was time. The tables went into the parking lot; the tent went up. And as soon as we took our supplies out into the parking lot, our community members were lining up so that we could care for them. One by one we listened to their stories. And we did our best to care for them.
No one was turned away. Frozen meat. Frozen fruit. Bags of groceries were handed out at a consistent pace to all. My Apple Watch recorded that I walked about 14,000 steps that night yet it felt like I barely took 1 step.
We listened to everyone and we cared as God calls us to. Hugs were given out. Blessings were offered. Prayers said together. And none of that was possible without the Body of Christ wondering: what is possible in Christ?
Now I know there is a great deal more need out there than we can handle. We did not feed everyone that night. Within a week the food that we gave out. . . well, it ran out. Families that we helped were only provided for in a short term sense. Yet, for that one night, for that weekend, this church was able to stand before the world and say, 'we are here, and we care for them. They matter to us for they are God's children.'
I know that you who reading this, you cannot fix all of the problems that you see and that read about. I know that you will get discouraged as easily as I do by the reports that you hear. But let our little story encourage you. Let it invite you to wonder: where could God be at work?
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