Today our church provided food for the Mission of Hope, a fantastic downtown Cedar Rapids ministry that began by helping men and women go from prision back to society and now has evolved to something much bigger. When the flood took out 28 churches and non-profit ministries last year, the Mission of Hope was one of the few still standing. And guess what? If you build it, the people will come. People in need flooded the well-kept building by the hundreds.
The people First Lutheran kicked into high gear and responded in kind. We provided lunch and supper every week for the months of June, July, August in 2008. Since then we've settled into a groove serving lunch every 2nd Thursday of the month. Today was our day, and yes, the need is still great. The dinner bell rang (literally - they have a dinner bell - I love it!) and men, women, and a few children lined the walls for prayer. I was blessed to say grace and we sat down and broke bread with one another. I got to meet a few people and hear their stories. It was a wonderful hands-on experience where you can feel Christ's presence in the midst. I told the Mission that I will organize about 6 people to return with me in August and help serve the meal. Will you be one of them?
Check out a related story by our member, KCRG-TV9's Justin Foss:
Free Lunch Programs See Need Double, Even Triple
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