Loaves and Fishes

Dear Friends in Christ,

Last Wednesday Rev. Mees and I attended the Faith, Food, and Farms conference held in Oakland by the Interfaith Sustainable Food Collective. The ISFC is a nonprofit organization that works with faith communities, advocates, community based organizations, and farmers to advance the production of and access to healthy foods produced in a sustainable, socially just manner by empowering faith communities with models and resources to impact local food systems and advance public policy. At the conference we heard from a variety of speakers about these issues, from how Bay Area faith communities are engaging in this work and the methods they use to address the problem, from feeding hungry people to advocating for policy change to using their land to grow food and ways to make all these ministries possible and sustainable. We went mostly because of our work with Jubilee farm, but found plenty to interest us regarding Saint Anna’s mission and ministry, such as a discussion on utilizing a  commercial kitchen.

Throughout the afternoon we heard about the great need that exists in our communities. A need that opened our eyes even further and made our hearts ache. We also heard stories that were inspiring and hopeful and convinced us change was possible, even though the extent of the need felt overwhelming and hopeless at times.

The closing plenary was offered by three people involved in policy change on both coasts. While they acknowledged the enormity of the task and the seeming impossibility of making a difference, their purpose was to inspire and motivate us by showing us what we could do. One of the speakers, Tim Alderson from Seeds of Hope, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, described something that motivated his ministry which spoke to me – that need, combined with the capacity to do something to meet that need, equaled reusability. In other words, if you see a need and you have the ability to address it no matter how small, as people of faith we have a responsibility to do something. When the need feels overwhelming and beyond our capacity to do anything about, we can feel hopeless and helpless. Alderson pointed out that you start with what you can do and do what you can with the resources currently available to you.

Another speaker, Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, pointed out that Vision equals prayer and prayer allows God to work. She used the story of the loaves and fishes to ask, what if the miracle wasn’t just that five loaves and three fish multiplied to feed 5000 people, but that the boy’s generosity allowed God to open the hearts of the people around him and inspire others to give too. And when many give something, everyone can be fed.

Saint Anna’s may be small and our resources of time and treasure (but not talent!) may be limited compared to some of the faith institutions we heard from on Wednesday, but we see the need in our community and we have something to offer. We have heart, and love, and compassion, and courage, and faith. And that adds up to the ability to make a difference in people’s lives. Each one of us must do what we can do, no matter how small we think that is. Because as the story of the loaves and fishes reveals, even the smallest offering in God’s hands can add up to a lot.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Jane+