I recently received a copy of the summer CONSP!RE Magazine, in which I have an article. It’s a brief article about working with a group called Food Not Bombs. If you want to get a print copy you can find out where to pick them up here (they’re free!).
Here’s the article:
Feast Of Fools
Several years ago, I started hanging out with a group of folks called Food Not Bombs, an international revolutionary movement “sharing free vegetarian food with hungry people and protesting war and poverty.” We redeemed food from the excess trash of our consumer culture, and made delicious stews, pastas, and sandwiches. Then, each Sunday, we’d host a party in the park, potluck style, for everyone. It was a beautiful snapshot of what the kingdom of God might look like.
I attended church on Sunday mornings, and then help out with Food Not Bombs. I regularly invited people from church to come and help out, seeing this as a perfect opportunity to live out the faith we talked and prayed about. Unfortunately, I’ve had no takers. They invariably would opt to go eat at a restaurant instead.
Strange: I had been looking around for people who were living out the words of Jesus and actually caring for the “least of these,” and I found it in a bunch of people who wanted nothing to do with church. Who are the Christ followers? The ones who wake up on Sunday and gather to talk about Jesus? Or the ones who never mention his name yet enact what he called his disciples to do?
That's a powerful statement.
Personally, I had all but given up on my Judaism until I discovered there were people out there "praying with their feet," as Abraham Joshua Heschel puts it; people for whom religion and community are inseparable. If part of the community is suffering, the whole is incomplete and there is work to do.
I think about this every time I see a homeless person begging for food or money (and in Los Angeles, there are a lot of them.) I don't have money to give, but I have my time, and I feel obligated to give as much of that as I can, while still being happy, until justice reigns.
Hey there Ariah. I have recently read this article in CONSP!IRE and I have that same issue now. though this church I go to I have just started meeting people.. so there is hope! But it is ironic that these people who really don't want anything to do with the church are doing what the church was made to do. Also, I find that FNB has truly kind people, and mean well… and are super friendly, and yet the church people are see-through nice, and don't really want to talk. Thanks for this article! I don't know if I should show them or not. Seeing as they might stop if I do! Ha. jk. But please keep us in your prayers as we are in a lawsuit with the Department of Health… Thanks you again.
Bless.
Vaw,
Thanks for the comment! Glad you took the time to look the article up and post some feedback. Bummer about the lawsuit, but if you do some searching I think there are some other similar cases (Orlando if I'm not mistaken) that were in FNB favor. It'll work out.
Keep doing what your doing.
Peace.