Food, glorious food

12 January 2010

Jane's compiling recipes and ideas for a Messy Church Cooks' Handbook and has sent out a questionnaire to the regional coordinators. Interesting that the replies so far show a huge difference in what happens food-wise at Messy Church. Some feed only the children, as adults in their area prefer to eat later with commuting spouses. Some provide finger food. One I heard of has finger food but with hot sausages from the kitchen every time to beef the food up a bit.

While I understand there are different situations and limitations in every church (like our loathsome and malevolent oven, for instance) it's worth looking at your food provision once in a while and asking if there's any way you can use the opportunity better to provide hospitality that's a witness to Jesus' own hospitality. Sitting eating at a table together is a cornerstone of Messy Church and wordlessly says so much about being community, being family, being open-handed: if you don't eat together yet, perhaps you could suggest to your team that you give it a try and see what happens?

We had a heated discussion at Messy Tea (our training course) on whether or not to have freshly prepared food as a matter of principle. It came down to agreeing that yes, it would be ideal to have everything straight from an organic farm and lovingly hand-chopped, but our team simply hasn't time to do that. Either we make do with shortcuts like ready-made pasta sauce or we keep our eyes open for someone who's free and able to chop leeks for 60 people on a regular basis - and for machines that help.

You might like to send your thoughts on food to Jane too - the questionnaire is short and sweet:

1. Do you have food other than a drink and a biscuit at your Messy Church? Yes / No (If no, please go to Q4)

2. Would you describe it as
A sit-down meal
A bring-and-share meal
Finger food
Other: (please say what)

3. If you do have food, why do you? (tick any that apply)
To show Christian hospitality
To give a chance for people to get to know each other
Because people round us need a good meal
Other: (please say what)

4. If you don't have food, why don't you?
Lack of facilities
Lack of courage
Lack of time
Lack of people to prepare it
We think a meal is more trouble than it's worth
Other: (please say what)

5. Do you have any recipes - savoury, sweet, finger food - that you could email to us jane.butcher@brf.org.uk for possible inclusion in a Messy Church cooks' handbook?

Many thanks
Jane