meals ministry...

One of the things I am involved with through my church is the Meals Ministry. I do love to cook anyway, and I'm fairly good at it, and it is something I can do at home while I'm babysitting my grandchildren, so it's a good fit for me. Here's how it works:

The point person who is in charge of the meals coordination sends an email out to the list of ladies who are part of the ministry team when she is notified of a need. There is absolutely no pressure to accept every opportunity and no one needs to feel guilty for saying "no" if the timing isn't right. I usually am able to say "yes" one or two times a month. Then I will be given a date and a name and phone number. I usually call the person the day before to let them know I'll be bringing their supper over, and we set up a mutually agreeable time. The conversation is usually very short because afterall, I rarely know the people (our church is very large) and they are usually recovering from a surgery or going through some other personal circumstance.

The fact that I don't know the people that I am serving is really a major blessing. How many times do we get to do something really meaningful for someone without any pretense of expecting anything in return? After I deliver a meal, most of the time I never see the person again.

One practical thing to remember when delivering a meal to someone (or a family) is to use disposable pans. The last thing you want to do is create work for someone who just had surgery or whose loved one died, so take the meal in something you don't care to have returned.

I almost always deliver a hot meal. I always ask the people what time they like to eat dinner, and so when the meal arrives all they have to do is sit down and eat it. Usually I make plenty of whatever it is for the people to have some leftovers. I have about five recipes that I use over and over for this ministry, so I usually have items I would need in my pantry or freezer for when I need to do a meal. And speaking of the freezer, you can always just make a couple meals up ahead of time and store them there so they are ready to bake when your call comes.

When delivering your meal, make your visit brief. If people have been ill or otherwise occupied, they might feel uncomfortable if you even go inside the house because they haven't been able to keep up with things as they normally would. So most often, I just hand over the stuff at the front door.

On the occasions when someone does ask me to come in, I try to make an assessment if they really would like to visit, or if they are just being courteous. One time when I was delivering a meal to a long time cancer patient who was terminal, she wanted me to come in and chat a while. So I did. And I'm so glad I did, as she passed away within about a week thereafter.

On rare occasions I even have felt free to ask if I could pray for the person while I was there. Again, this takes sensitivity and discernment. Most often just offering encouraging words is sufficient and is what most people are comfortable with.

If you are a stay-at-home mom or grandma, this might be just the kind of ministry for you. You can be doing God's work and very much remain "in the background" and anonymous for the most part. If your church doesn't have something like this already in place, why not think of setting it up? Someone in the church office would know of families in need, and those names can be passed on to a coordinator. Then find a core group of volunteers who agree to be contacted by phone or email. It's not difficult to get going at all.

If you have ever been on the receiving end (I have) you know how very much help it is to have a meal delivered to your family in a time of need. I think I will post some of my recipes soon that I use for this ministry.

God bless you as you consider if this might be an area where you can serve Christ and your church.