More Than Enough
Dear Hope Church Family,
Awhile back Jean Moser invited us at Hope to join in giving to the many families in our area who do not have enough to eat. She shared about the great needs and the great joy she had in helping meet those needs along with many in the community. The Clemmons Food Pantry has served to help feed two hundred plus families on a regular basis, and I have found some of that same joy. Can I piggyback on Jean’s thoughtful and gracious challenge, to encourage you to join in, or to continue to partner with feeding the hungry?
Among the many lessons I’m learning or relearning as I seek to teach my own young children, it’s that we have enough. More than enough. Food and so many resources that God has graciously given to us. And with that bounty, it can be hard to remember that there are others who have great physical needs, whose next meal is not so certain. As admonishments to eat what’s on their plate unfold on a daily basis, learning gratitude takes new meaning with the perspective that there are so many people who do not have enough to eat.
Jean has provided a magnet for the calendar year, with three items selected each month. Most recently, I had the opportunity to take our oldest child to the grocery store with me to help purchase food pantry items. Last month we got to choose his favorite breakfast cereal that was buy one, get one (“Wouldn’t that be great to get?!”) and he got to select the pasta (“I like spaghetti. And it’s on sale!”) and pick out which kinds of beans he would want (“How about one black and one pinto?”). Our daughter had so much fun putting the items into the bin at church on Sunday.
What a huge privilege we have to serve and be served with people God is using in all the nooks and crannies of our community. I invite you (and your family) to join in when you can in this tangible way!
Gratefully,
Hugh Dowlen