The Feeding Church

To the Editor:

With all the seemingly “bad news” out there these days, I thought hearing about a little bit of a miracle that is happening right here in La Grange would be good.

When we think of “church” many of us often think of a building, perhaps we wonder why there are so many different brands of those buildings in a small town, or perhaps we think of a time when we felt judged or shamed by a church. But that is not what the church is about. The church is people. People that believe that Jesus was the son of God. The church was given an assignment by Jesus when He was here. Many of us have not done a very good job of following that assignment from Jesus over the years. We have argued and divided the church, we have not treated our fellow man as Jesus did, and we have made people ashamed to darken our doors. It seems we forgot who we were and that we are sinners too.

Here in our little community of La Grange there is a shift away from all that wrongness happening. There is a building that I now refer to as a “church” and we meet there on Monday mornings, not to worship, but to work on the assignment that Jesus gave us. At this building people from all the different brands of churches come together to help people from our community. We set aside our differences and concentrate on what we agree on, and that is; Jesus said to feed and clothe those in need. The name of this “church” is Amen, and it is our local food pantry.

I have seen a shift there over the past several years to be a place where the “church” people encounter Jesus by feeding their brothers and sisters. Those being helped encounter the love and Joy of Jesus that we show through our actions. This love is expressed by the people volunteering there seven days a week to make everything ready. It is expressed by the other volunteers that show up and work on Monday mornings to help with the distribution. It is expressed by the many people that donate food and money to help those in need. It is expressed by the gardeners that keep us supplied with fresh produce, a farmer that brings eggs, and so many others. Our community has supported this work with passion. All of this comes together so that this “church” can not only feed people, but also touch their lives with a smile, a hug, sharing a prayer, and instead of being judged, being loved with the love of Jesus.

To spend time volunteering at this “church” is to experience the true joy of Christ. After all, whenever two or more gather in His name, that is church.

I think what is happening at Amen is a little bit more like what Jesus was talking about.

Bobby Chilek La Grange