by Susan Craig / Photos Courtesy of Laurie Sanders / published by?Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church
What can a small United Methodist church on the outskirts of a big city accomplish on little more than a hope and a prayer? First United Methodist Church of Kennedale, located just outside the Fort Worth city limits, has an answer: {{more: continue …}}A congregation can feed its community ? body and soul ? and, in the process, see a significant uptick in professions of faith.?a shared inspiration …??
Joveta Kanion, one of the newest members of Kennedale FUMC, came to a sudden realization one day last summer. Wouldn?t this church be an ideal location for a soup kitchen? Joveta kept her notion to herself for a bit – being new, she didn?t want to come across as presumptuous or officious. However, it was just a matter of days before such a wonderful and outwardly focused idea couldn?t be contained any longer and she shared her inspiration with her pastor, Dr. Nelda Barrett Murraine.
Pictured are Joveta Kanion (r) who had the inspiration, Chef Raymond Lee (l) who travels from Lewisville
weekly and Kennedale Mayor Brian Johnson.
Nelda describes Joveta as ?a strong, faithful, dedicated woman, a real go-getter.? However, she acknowledges that every pastor has heard praise-worthy ideas that never came to fruition. ?It?s great to have an idea, but you?ve got to work it,? she said. ?Joveta came to me, she and I talked about this and prayed about this for several months.?
One thing was certain. Kennedale UMC didn?t have the budget to fund this kind of outreach. Nelda laughed heartily. ?We don?t have any money,? she joked. ?We don?t have two pennies to rub together, but we trust that God will provide.?
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Don’t let the name fool you. The above is an example of some of the other delicious fare offered at Soup Kitchen Kennedale.?outreach to the homeless …?
The soup kitchen was established as an outreach to Kennedale?s homeless community, but, in a few short months, it evolved to serve others as well. Among the guests who come on a given Tuesday, are senior citizens who, as Nelda puts it, ?need to stretch that social security check,? young families living paycheck to paycheck, special needs adults and some folks who are just plain lonely. Those who are able give a suggested donation of $5.
How does such a small church make such a big difference? Nelda makes it sound so simple. ?It?s God and God moving in people?s hearts,? she said. This is a congregation that ?opens its hearts to anybody and everybody.? Her advice is straightforward and succinct: ?Just tell somebody about Jesus!?
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