Over the next couple of posts (and weeks) I will respond to an oft posed question; “Why Bread?”
Other than leavened bread being a God-ordained mishap by man which became a God given gift, it also happens to be delicious. I have written before on the process of bread making and baking and why I love it. You should read that post. Also if you wonder what my recipe may be that post comes as close to recipe as I can transcribe or describe.
Are we going to be using bread in South Africa as a ministry?
If I can train someone without a job to earn a job as a baker, then of course we will use bread. A second way that I foresee us using baking is as invitation to hospitality. Third, as a gift to those who are integral to our ministry on the ground in South Africa and as a gift to those who do not have much food to work with on a daily basis, which is how we use bread currently. Giving it to people as a gift or a thank you and to people who need food.
Taking from those three uses for bread I would like to suggest three reasons why you should signup for a bread pickup.
I. To feed you and/or your family. This is sort of a “Duh, Wade” answer but it is much like the answer of training someone to make bread. The government proposes an unemployment rate of 50% in South Africa. In places that percentage shoots up to 90%. Training someone to both feed their family (or people around them) and help them learn the skills necessary to do just that by providing, that is great and I hope that opportunity arrises one day. But that is secondary to the other reasons.
II. As I understand it fellowship is something that we share with people inside the faith and hospitality is something we offer to those outside of it. As missionaries hospitality is number one. In a sense that is the goal. Invite others, in this case to share in a meal, and share in the joy of salvation. This would be a great way for you to use the loaf/loaves of bread.
But that is not to exclude fellowship. Enjoy the bread with others is the big idea. My next post will be expounding upon this idea more. Why it is important to share meals with others and God’s uses for it.
III. Give it away. Also self explanatory, giving bread to someone in need is good. But think about it like this. You are giving to Team McComas to go and serve on your behalf in Cape Town, South Africa and you are blessing someone who is in the shoes of those we will be serving as well. It is a double blessing if you would like to look at it like that.
Team McComas 