By John Legge
What a special opportunity we had Tuesday night to have Lee Nelson from Urban Ministries as our guest for dinner and discussion. I thought it might be a downer, talking about poverty and hunger. Instead, I came away feeling pretty snappy. It was a pleasure to listen to Lee (I think the guy’s a hero and a rock star!), learn from his experience, and share thoughts about an issue that concerns many of us. Perhaps some of the following made it such a positive experience:
· I loved Lee’s stories. They were full of humility, compassion and meaning.
· Sid Allen and friends made it easy for the rest of us to enjoy.
· Lee gave our congregation props for our enduring commitment to Urban Ministries through food donations, volunteering in the food pantry, and the meals served by our youth in the Community Café.
· There was a good group of folks…diverse group. Fuller (the young one) asked some of the best questions of the night.
· Hunger is a big problem, but there are a lot of ways we can make a difference toward sustaining and comforting people who are having a difficult time.
· Everyone was really engaged with Lee and in their table discussions. They also seemed to appreciate the chance to eat, visit and just spend time together.
· Jenny’s dinner was wonderful.
· Sometimes when I consider an issue alone I feel helpless, but when approached with others, it becomes empowering and encouraging.
I’m grateful that so many folks showed up and shared their interest, concern and faith beliefs surrounding the issue of hunger in our community. Many of these same folks will participate in the Crop Walk this weekend. I look forward to continuing to synthesize our collective concern, energy and resources toward understanding our community and finding ways to be a meaningful part of it.
- John Legge
See the video of the Dinner and Discussion below!
I'm sorry I missed it. I am taking a class called The south in black and white that is taught by Dr. Timothy Tyson & Mary D Williams. This week we are reading a book written by Dr. Tyson called Blood Done Sign My Name. While maybe not directly related......it is. It is a story from Oxford which is just up the road but it could have been anywhere. It is written by Dr. Tyson who at the time the events took place was the 10 year old son of Dr. Vernon Tyson the newly appointed pastor at First United Methodist Church of Oxford. I can't really describe the book but it is a great read and there are a few quotes from this book that may sum it up and possibly peak the interest of anyone who reads this. It also brings perspective to the history of NC and its complicated pass 1) “If there is to be reconciliation, first there must be truth.”
ReplyDelete― Timothy B. Tyson, Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story
2) “The Lord works through deeply flawed people, since He made so few of the other kind.”
― Timothy B. Tyson, Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story
3) “Every minister worthy of the name has to walk the line between prophetic vision and spiritual sustenance, between telling people the comforting things they want to hear and challenging them with the difficult things they need to hear. In Oxford, Daddy began to feel as though all the members wanted him to do was to marry them and bury them and stay away from their souls.”
― Timothy B. Tyson, Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story
I hope these quotes will entice folks to read the book or even watch the movie. It can be very helpful for all but more so for those who didn't grow up here to understand the roots and what happened to cause these fractures. Refer back to quote #1.