Wilder View - September 2008

Just a few Sundays ago we shared the familiar story known as ‘Loaves and fishes.’ Even if you were not at church that Sunday you probably remember the story from your childhood days. The Bible tells us that there were 5,000+ people gathered that day to listen to Jesus and experience his teaching and healing. Towards the end of the day Jesus told the disciples to feed everyone. When the disciples said they couldn’t, a few loaves and fishes were found, Jesus broke the bread, and everyone ate until they were full and there were leftovers beyond belief.

This story reminded me of a ministry we have here at Lafayette Park United Methodist Church. It is a ministry that has nurtured, healed, and supported untold numbers of people. Some of you may have never heard about it, or you have heard about it and just didn’t know what it was. Others of you were the creators of this ministry.

As I understand the story, many years ago, we had a member in our congregation who was in a really stressful place in their life. They were very ill and unable to work. They didn’t have income enough to cover their housing, their food, or their medicine. Some of our members decided to do something about this situation, and created the ‘Loaves and Fishes’ ministry. This is an account where people can donate money to the church and then as a need arises, there are resources available to help people.

In the four years that I have been at Lafayette Park, this fund has helped people purchase medicine that they can not afford to purchase, pay a utility bill that couldn’t be covered, cover a month’s rent for someone digging out of a disaster, purchase a stove for who was unable to purchase one when their stove died, and even transportation to a family funeral, just to name a few.

Last year Jim and I encountered a young man that we had known for over a decade. He was homeless, unemployed, and had some medical complications based upon his HIV status. He had fled from an abusive relationship which placed him in this situation. After consultation with a few of the church leaders, this fund was used to help him with part of the deposit for an apartment. The impact of this donation enabled him to get a home find employment, and deal with his significant health issues. I am pleased to tell you that he is doing great and has recently received a promotion at his job. Whenever this fund is used, it is used in such a way as to provide the recipient with confidentiality and dignity.

There are countless people that have benefited from the sharing of our resources. I would like to take the opportunity to thank those of you who support this ministry, especially those who make a monthly contribution. Thank you for the way you bless me when I am able to see the look of relief that comes into people’s eyes when I can tell them that we can help them get their medicine, or give them a grocery card to purchase food for their family. Thank you for your faithful support of this ministry. Truly you create a miracle in many lives through your support. Thank you for the way you help our church live out the calls of Jesus in Matthew 25, “I was hungry and you fed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me.” Through the Loaves and Fishes ministry we have fed, clothed, and helped heal members of our church and close community. Thank you for creating this ministry and supporting it all these years. Truly, the miracle of loaves and fishes continues. Thank you.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Kathleen
lppastor@sbcglobal.net