Ruth's Pantry at Project Suppertime

At Northern Boulevard UMC, our guiding principle can be found in James 2:14. “Of what value is it to say to people, ‘go, be fed and be warm,’ if we do not supply their bodily needs?”  We believe that sharing food is vital to building a strong community. Feeding those in need is an imperative in the kingdom of heaven. How can we be nourished spiritually if we are hungry physically?

 

Over and over in the Gospels, Jesus commanded his followers to feed the hungry, and over and over he fed the hungry himself. From turning water to wine at a wedding to feeding the 5,000 on the hillside to cooking breakfast for his disciples on the beach, Jesus modeled generosity based on the assumption not of scarcity, but of abundance. 

 

We practice Open Communion here at NBUMC. God’s grace is free and open to all, always. No one need be a member, a Methodist, or hold any kind of Christian beliefs to enjoy communion with us. Sharing food and drink is a beautiful sacrament, whether it be the symbolic crackers and juice of communion in our Sunday service, a potluck dinner during the week, or bags of groceries given and received every Thursday night, we participate in the kingdom of heaven when we share food. Such sharing is communion. 

 

In the kingdom of heaven, there is no prerequisite to food except hunger. No one needs to prove they’re needy enough, or that they have worked to deserve it. “If you are hungry,” says Jesus, “come and eat!” Nor is there a dividing line between those who offer food and those who accept it. We are all children of God participating in communion. We are grateful for abundance out of which we can share, and grateful for the friends and neighbors who come and partake with us. 

 

Sometimes we come to serve, sometimes we come to be served. But always, always, we eat.