Be This Now

This is the line that stuck with me from Rev. Will’s sermon last Sunday. The whole “be the change” line has become so commonplace that we barely take notice of what it really means, the responsibility that it confers on us. And, frankly, how can we think about that all the time, when volunteering even for small things outside of our weekly routine feels like trying to stop global warming. Who has the time? But, as we were reminded on Sunday, “It’s all about me” gets a whole new meaning when we read it through the lens Jesus gave his disciples and all those who heard him: You be the salt, you be the light. Sheesh, Jesus is always making it all about you.

Right now, a group of us is working to get St. Cyprian’s a commercial-grade kitchen. To start, we have decided on two uses for it: a food ministry that will prepare hot meals and deliver them to the hungry (possibly in SROs or other supportive-housing situations) and healthy cooking classes targeting specifically low-income African Americans. Most in our group have been or are now involved in such work and we know that once this kitchen is built, we can hit the ground running with some really great programs. But first we have to find the money (oh, about $150,000, give or take), get a design, get an architectural plan, get permits, have it built, install appliances, have it inspected…

Sometimes, being the salt and the light looks incredibly pedestrian. We’re sitting in meetings, we’re talking about money, we’re tired. But when I envision what we’re working toward and remember how awesome it’s going to be, I am inspired again. The work of writing grant proposals, while sometimes stressful, is a great exercise in articulating your goals and why you want to achieve them. When my spirits are flagging, I can go back to what I’ve written and remember, Oh, yeah, we’re going to build something really cool! To wit: “In the St. Cyprian’s Community Kitchen, we envision a place not only where meals are made, but where lives are changed for the better.”

Onward, then! Be this now.

—Jennifer Wolfe