When Samantha and David first started coming to Food Ministry they used drugs on a regular basis. Every once in awhile Samantha would try to come off of drugs and say, “Today I am five days clean,” or whatever the length of time was. Yet it was hard, and she often went back to using. The same was true of David. There were times when Samantha would come to Food Ministry in tears saying she was going to divorce David. The grief he caused her was too much to endure.
Recently we celebrated the renewal of their wedding vows! How did this drastic change happen? Over time, as Sam and David attended Food Ministry, they also began attending Bethany Inner City Church, a World Impact church plant in Fresno. Over time, they were able to rid themselves of drug addiction. Over time, they came to realize they still loved each other and wanted to celebrate 20 years of being together by renewing their wedding vows…at Food Ministry of course, because it really is so much more than just about giving out food.
Bethany Inner City Church’s Food Ministry has been going on for nearly 15 years. Over the years it has grown and changed into something much greater than just a food give-away, where a bag of food is given and people leave. Bethany’s Food Ministry, which is housed at the World Impact Fresno Building, has really become a community where people come together seeking food, fellowship and spiritual nurture.
At Food Ministry we like to focus on the physical (food), social (eating a meal together around a table, playing pool, healthy conversations), and the spiritual (prayer and devotional). Nearly everyone who comes through our doors is isolated in some way. It is really a mosaic of people who come each week—elderly people who live apart from their families, homeless people, people who are low income and need extra help making it through the week, people who struggle with mental illness and those addicted to drugs all come for food and fellowship. We celebrate birthdays together, we have dedicated babies and had memorial services for those we have grieved the loss of.
Samantha would say that she has found a lot more than just food at Food Ministry. She has found family, a community to belong to, spiritual growth, a pastor, as well as loaves of bread, vegetables, fruit, soup, and a variety of other food she gets to take home. And all of that is worth celebrating!
