March 6, 2013
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Missions Weekend
Ephrata Church of the Nazarene
Saturday, March 2
We arrived about 3:30 p.m. to get the chapel and display board set up before most people arrived.
Peg and Bunny O’Hare, TFC Director of Pastoral Care for Chaplains, manned the display table while Cerwin and I stayed in the chapel until the evening meal.
Bunny and Peg and Darla and Dale Hershey.
Dale and Darla volunteer at the Truck Rally each summer and were the people who got their church in touch with us. Dale also donates his time and the supplies to clean and wax the tile floors at TFC’s International Office - about once a year.
There were a few preliminaries and directions before the meal.
Each table was told to choose a leader to distribute the box meals (under the netting).
Each box contained a meal.
My meal included two slices of wheat bread, ham & cheese, mustard, mayo, fresh vegies, pretzel sticks, a small tangerine, plasticware, paper towel napkin, cookie, and a few mints.
Cerwin’s was similar. He had chips instead of pretzel sticks, a banana instead of a tangerine, and his lunch meat was turkey.
The others were similar, except…
…Peg’s. Her box was empty.
About that time it was announced that the seven places at each table – with one empty box – was to represent that one in seven people in the world will go to bed hungry tonight.
Our table was our mission field and the six with full food boxes had to figure out how to feed the “hungry” person.
All Peg got was a Bible verse and a glass of water.
The people who are standing had empty boxes.
It was fun to hear how each table fed their “hungry” person. At our table, each person handed their box to Peg and told her to take what she wanted.
Julie was the person who contacted me about coming to their church’s missions weekend. Here she is introducing the “drama” that was coming next.
From Matthew 25…
Homeless Man
“I was hungry and you fed me.”
Orphanage
“I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.”
Hospital
“I was sick, and you cared for me.”
Prison
“I was in prison, and you visited me.”
“Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?”
“I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!”
~~~
The meal and the drama was a very effective way of reminding us of “the least of these” in the world.
A main focus of the evening was human trafficking, and that is why the missions committee felt that TFC was a fit for their weekend.
Truck stops have become hot spots for human trafficking, making it necessary for our staff to be informed on how to recognize the signs of a young person who has become a human slave – and hotline phone numbers to call.
Bunny shared a bit about the ministry of Transport For Christ and Exit 58 (TFC’s initiative on human trafficking).
“Exit 58″ is from Isaiah 58:6
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?“
Comments (5)
What an interesting evening!
What a great idea! I like it the “hands on” approach to it. Too often we hear about the plights of others, but it passes over us with little affect. I think this will stay with people and make them think.
@DanishDoll - @slmret - It was certainly impressive to me.
What a well thought out program — I’m sure those who took part will be reminded of it every time they sit down to a meal.
I’m always so impressed by the work that TFC does when I read your posts — may God bless the work as you minister to those
in your area of influence. On my way to Buffalo recently via the turnpike I think I may have seen one of your units at a
rest stop near the turnpike — was that possible?
That must have been an informative and inspiring evening. I didn’t know about TFC’s Exit 58 ministry.