an Empty Pantry

Praise be to God!  We have a sighting of the HOLY SPIRIT in the EMPTY food pantry.  How? Because Sunday, July 31st, members of Sunnyside Presbyterian condensed worship to 35 minutes and then transported every morsel of food in our food pantry to the local elementary school parking lot down the street for a food drop off we had advertised at 12 noon.  Fifteen of us who were willing and able to stand out in the heat helped load up all the food into the beds of two pickup trucks.  When we pulled in, there was already a line of more than twenty people waiting in the hot sun for us to arrive.  We had a blank sheet of chart paper on a stand where one of us invited each person to write down the names of anyone we could be praying for, and offered prayer then-and-there for anyone that wanted it.  The sheet of paper was covered with family names, prayers that God reunite certain people and put forgiveness into hearts, prayers for "Peace in the world" and "less killing, racism and more love for all children."  One put "prayer for every man, woman and child...pray for love." The people in line came from all walks of life, many ages, heights, shoe sizes, skin colors.  Everyone was polite.  They gave their prayers, and when mentioning a clothes closet opening soon, one person asked when she could bring clothes to donate.  Our vision poem at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church: "trusting and giving thanks whether vessels are empty or full, offering our loaves and fishes, we provide the substance for a miracle in the hands of Christ."  Did we provide the substance?  Actually most of the food came from Mary, a woman in our community who donated a huge box of food each week after she heard our church was starting a pantry.  She knew of our church because we tutored one of her grandchildren last summer in a special Summer Tutoring instead of doing a more traditional Vacation Bible School.  God provided the bread.  God provided the crowds.  Here we are in the middle as a church who can relate to both.  Maybe this is is part of being "the hands and voice of Christ empowering people to shine," as our vision says.  Praise be to God, "church" is fun!

Please share HOLY SPIRIT sightings in YOUR community and congregation.  Let's proclaim the vibrant witness already at hand! As we kick of this blog, send your posts to pastor@sspchurch.org and include your congregation's name and sender's name.

Rev. Evan

teaching elder at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church www.sspchurch.org in Vander, an unincorporated town on the east side of Fatyetteville, NC.