Healthy parish rises from bread ministry

The parishioners of St. Luke's Church in Schenectady have embraced this symbol of hospitality and holiness -- and used it as a way to unite their membership.

According to Victoria Onderdonk-Milne, director of the parish's social ministry, volunteers have developed a unique program to welcome new parishioners and provide support to needy families by baking bread and cooking meals. Since she joined the staff five years ago, she has watched this ministry rise like yeast.

Bread of welcome

Martha's Ministry began when a volunteer thought new parishioners could be welcomed even more if the existing hospitality ministry included a loaf of home-made bread on their initial visit to newcomers when presenting a packet of information about the parish and community.

From that, the ministry grew to include giving bread or a home-cooked meal to parishioners grieving the loss of a loved one, those recovering from surgery and families in crisis situations.

Baked goods

She noted that all sorts of people have volunteered to help out in Martha's Ministry.

"The bakers and cookers are comprised of the elderly, some shut-ins, those who work during the day and even parents of children who do not have the time to attend meetings or participate in other ministries," she explained. "They have opened their hearts to support our parish."

Dozens of loaves

"Within just a few weeks, she baked all those loaves of bread. I actually felt bad that I had to ask her to bake so much, but she said she loved doing it," said Mrs. Onderdonk-Milne. "She is amazing."

Mrs. Nelson usually bakes several loaves of bread at one time and delivers them to the parish where they are stored in a freezer until needed for new families. Even though she has been asked to bake up to nine loaves at one time, she loves her task.

"I have baked bread for many years, for my family and friends," she told The Evangelist. "Bread is so basic. It's a wonderful ministry for me. This is a part of myself that I can give to people, and I am thankful that I have the opportunity to do something I like for others. It gives me a warm glow inside."

Multiplying loaves

"We found out that one of our parishioners, a volunteer herself, was experiencing some family misfortune. She has three young daughters, and I was asked to make a meal for them," said Mrs. Sherman.

She took a half-day off from work to prepare the meal and told her coworkers why she was absent. Within a few days, the entire staff helped the family by adopting them for Thanksgiving. Even though the workers are not affiliated with St. Luke's, some donated money and some offered to shop for food. By the time they were done, they had provided an entire Thanksgiving dinner.

"As if that wasn't enough," Mrs. Sherman added, "they also decided to embrace this family for Christmas. So far, we have gifts for everyone as well as money for their Christmas dinner. Someone even knit hats and gloves for the kids. The outreach from this office has been amazing, all because of one simple home-cooked meal."

Warm ministry

She added that often, when someone hears of the good works that the ministry performs, "they offer to pitch in and help in any way they can," she said.

"We are very proud of our volunteers. They reach out to our new parishioners and to those in need with genuine love in their hearts -- and a home-cooked meal or a warm loaf of homemade bread."

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