How can we love a little louder? This lent, we will gather each week to engage with messages from members about several Saint Luke ministries in which we care for one another and those in our community. As we hear inspiring stories and find out more about how Saint Lukans shout and show God’s love beyond the church walls, we too will be inspired to join the mission to know, love and serve Christ.
This week, Sparky Lok, along with Jackie Baver, share their experience as a part of the ministry, Feast Incarnate. Thank you both!
Pr. Meagan Esterby, UniLu, ex officio Board member
With food scarcity touching so many lives around us, Feast Incarnate steps in to provide a dignified evening meal each week to those in need. Each Tuesday evening at University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in Philadelphia, approximately 100 people gather together to nourish their bodies and hearts. University Lutheran, or UniLu as we call it, undertakes campus ministries in all of Philadelphia’s colleges and universities and serves its surrounding West Philadelphia community. When we say the meals happen weekly, we do in fact mean weekly, as in 52 weeks per year! The old-time “Feasties”, as we call ourselves proudly share that since its inception over 35 years ago, not one Tuesday has passed without a Feast Incarnate meal shared among the community. If a holiday falls on a Tuesday, the meal goes on. This is a testament to the dedication of the special people of Feast Incarnate.
Not Your Average Soup Kitchen
Feast Incarnate is set apart from a typical soup kitchen. It’s guests do not stand in line with trays to receive their meal, but rather are seated at tables with napkins, silverware, and beverage glasses and are served in banquet fashion with a delicious and healthful full-course meal plated for them on china. We hope that along with this meal, we serve up a measure of dignity and respect. Feast Incarnate functions with the conviction that the guests and the people who prepare and serve the food are alike in being children of God and are all enriched by the experience. Our volunteers are encouraged to engage guests in conversation; this is where the enrichment starts. Meals begin with a prayer and are enjoyed in Jesus' name.
Michael Glatfelter, Board Treasurer, UniLu member
By way of a little history, Feast Incarnate was chartered as a ministry of UniLu in the early 1980s to serve community members whose lives were impacted by economic hardship, food insecurity, and the scourge of HIV/AIDS. It was and continues to be, the case that many of our guests are homeless. Today, we no longer know whether our guests are HIV positive, but we do know that they are hungry and that Saint Luke along with about 6 other Lutheran congregations work together to provide food, prepare it, serve the meal, and clean up afterward. Over the years the ministry has evolved, eventually becoming a 501C3 non-profit with its own budget and board of directors. Saint Luke’s Sparky Lok serves as the secretary, giving him first-hand insight into the impact of Saint Luke’s generosity on Feast Incarnate. He shared that Saint Luke’s Mustard Seed Grant supported two very significant projects including the purchase of new kitchen appliances and the completion of some urgently needed repairs and renovations to the kitchen. Additionally, special offerings through Gifts of Hope at Christmas time funded meals for over 100 people!
Moving Through Challenges
The Covid 19 pandemic shook us all and Feast Incarnate was not immune. Still, the meals went on, Tuesday after Tuesday just in a take-out format, and the most faithful volunteers continued to show up with food and volunteer help. While Feast Incarnate is very happy to be back in an in-person format, the pandemic left its mark in that several of our long-standing partner congregations had to drop out due to declining finances and member engagement. Currently, there are 12 weeks between now and year’s end in which no partner has stepped up to provide the meal. The meals will go on, but this decline in support will necessitate that the Board purchase the ingredients and its members prepare the meals. Those in need will be fed, but the plan is not sustainable long term. New partner churches or organizations are needed to step into this special ministry.
Nell McCaslin, Board President & Riley Tien, student Board member
Any endeavor worth doing comes with challenges, and Feast Incarnate will overcome these. The effort will be so very much worth it in terms of the rewards that volunteers receive from being a part of Feast Incarnate. Spark explained, “There’s a sense of peace and calm we get from having taken a tiny step towards fulfilling that admonition from Jesus...The other great reward is the privilege of being with the wonderful people of Feast Incarnate and forging or strengthening life-long friendships with them.”
The folks at UniLu, our volunteers, and dear Saint Luke friends like Jackie Baver are simply there, time after time, with fortitude, with generous and willing hearts, and with some really, really loud love. Jackie shared the impact it has had on her personally, sharing, “For quite some time I’ve been looking for ways to help worthwhile organizations. I want to be able to do something of value – I’m a “doer”. I can be a bit introverted and shy going into new situations – not always feeling I’m worthwhile or belong. So Feast Incarnate has given me the chance to be a better me in a very worthwhile ministry. From starting as Betty Clark’s driver and helper, to now coordinating the bimonthly contributions, food order, pick up and delivery, and helping prepare the meals. I feel blessed and enriched by all the kind and giving people I have met.”
NEXT STEPS
LEARN & LISTEN TO HUNGER
More than 820 million people - that's about 11 percent of people in our world today - are hungry. Even in Chester county, the wealthiest county in Pennsylvania, 11,000+ children, 3,500+ seniors, and 3,400+ disabled adults (age 18-59) are considered food insecure. It can be easy to think that hunger does not exist in our world since we have not seen it. The more you learn, the more your eyes and heart can be opened to the need.
GROCERY AISLE PRAYERS
Grocery shopping is often a repetitive habit in our households. Perhaps you make a shopping list ahead of time, order online, or stroll the aisles at a local store. Regardless of how you obtain your food, this habit can serve as a prompt for prayer. One way to build in this practice is to pray for those facing hunger each time you feel the sensation of hunger yourself and as you grocery shop each week. This prayer practice can be a moving experience that helps you develop empathy and compassion for your hungry neighbors.
PUT ON YOUR APRON & COOK UP SOME KINDNESS
You do not have to be a master chef to serve at a place like Feast Incarnate. Local meal ministries and soup kitchens need volunteers that recognize that the meal is only part of the service offered. A warm welcome, eye contact, remembering a name, and engaging conversation are the perfect recipe for sharing God’s love, especially with those often overlooked. If you are in the Philadelphia area, consider joining us at the next Feast Incarnate meal. No matter where you are in the world, hunger is in your neighborhood and you can find a way to get involved.
Bread of life, we know that whoever comes to you will never go hungry. Fill us Lord. Amen.