Summer cookouts, family celebrations and tailgate parties all conjure up images of good food, good friends and good times!
For the cooks in the crowd, the fun begins as soon as the date is picked because their joy comes in planning the menu, shopping for ingredients and preparing the meal.
Cooks go into overdrive flipping through recipes to pick out just the right entree, side dishes and dessert for the setting and crowd. Contemplating color, texture, temperature and how long it has been since they made a 'favorite dish'.
Then there is the joy of the trip to the market: squeezing red ripe tomatoes to detect firmness, thumping watermelons for that special sound, sniffing the lemons for freshness and making last minute recipe adjustments for the season.
And on the big day you smile in anticipation as you stand before the cutting board on the kitchen counter with your favorite knives. You breathe deep inhaling the savory smell of spices as pots begin to simmer on the stove. You stop for a moment to stir, shake or flip the contents of a sizzling skillet.
When the right time arrives you present your creation on the table, arranging it so the meal flows in the proper sequence from beginning to end.
You stand back for a moment and admire your work.
But the bigger reward is the smile you see on faces as first bites are taken and the low murmurs of delight (mmmm!) rise from the crowd. Second helpings are the extra point after a touchdown to a cook!
If you can relate to any of this, why not put your culinary gifts to work for the glory of the Lord and volunteer on behalf of New Beginnings UMC in support of the Family Promise homeless Shelter?
Family Promise is a network of several church congregations and volunteers who meet homeless families’ immediate needs for shelter and meals while providing comprehensive support services that assist with obtaining employment and alternate housing. The Family Promise homeless shelter can house up to six families at one time.
New Beginnings UMC provides the evening meal at the shelter located at 39 N. Washington St. Delaware four times each year. Our next opportunity to serve the Lord in this capacity will be the week of Sept. 9th thru 15th
.
Do you prefer to cook with friends? Go ahead team up with someone. I don't put much stock in the adage that too many cooks spoil the soup. I prefer the saying, "The more the merrier!"
Unable to rattle the pots-n-pans like you used to do? That's OK. Make a monetary donation and place it in an envelope clearly marked for Family Promise in the weekly offering plate, cause sometimes it's fun to splurge on Pizza!
If you want to use your culinary talent as part of this ministry, please contact the church office and we will get you the details you need to know (office@delawarenewbeginnings.com)
We'd love to have you try it at least once and see what Family Promise Homeless Shelter is all about. Trust me, unlike your kids, these folks are not going to complain about your meatloaf or your company!
"God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another." - 1 Peter 4:10