Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

When I think of food and the Episcopal Church, I believe we’re much more than just wine and cheese. Within just the past few months I’ve come across: 

• John Hornbeck’s work with Episcopal Community Services in the Dioceses of Kansas & West Missouri. As I noted in the following post, Episcopal Community Services has made addressing domestic hunger their sole focus, leading conversations on improving soup kitchens and food pantries in the Kansas City area.
• Paul Clever of the Diocese of Southern Ohio whose farm work at the Good Earth Farm is a new model of what Episcopal religious communities might look like in the 21^[1] century.
• The work of the Community of the Holy Spirit at Bluestone Farm. While my colleague Anne Ditzler and I were immersed in putting together this website, we enjoyed their hospitality, homemade pizza, peppery preserves and wine. Amazing food from an inspiring community.
• ECF Fellow Ellen Davis and Wendell Barry on Krista Tippett’s Speaking of Faith. In this interview, Davis was drawing from her book Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible.
• Nancy Davidge’s concerns regarding food deserts and the national campaign to address childhood obesity.

This doesn’t even begin to mention, of course, the many churches that are growing produce for soup kitchens and food pantries. Nor does it include many individuals like me whose faith & ethics shapes what we eat, what we don’t eat, and where we buy it.

In light of Episcopalians’ passion for food, it came as no surprise when Courtney Cowart at The Fund for Theological Education noted on Facebook that “a disproportionate number of my FB friends post food beauty shots, report on restaurant experiences and ‘like’ postings having to do with what they just ate. Have I perchance attracted a foodie flock of friends?” Guilty as charged. Having just posted photos of the bread loaves I’d just made, I jumped at the chance to share an idea that’s I’ve been thinking about for quite some time – namely, that of an Episcopal Foodie Network.

Okay, okay. It may be that the last thing the Episcopal Church needs is yet another network, and yet there’s certainly an emerging desire to 1) explore the connections between food, faith and ethics and 2) share what we’re cooking up with others. After all, food is central to our faith. We pray for our daily bread and are called to feed the hungry; we find God in the breaking of the bread and are told to live for more than just “bread alone." The New Testament is redolent with delicious images and odors: we hear of loaves and fishes, of mustard seeds and of gleaning wheat; Jesus is accused of being a glutton (a foodie?) and is charring a freshly caught fish in his final resurrection appearance in the final chapter of John.

I’d like to believe this biblical background and our tradition’s tendency toward feasting nourished the Facebook conversation that ensued. Courtney’s initial and later postings led to a burst of ideas and stories about food and faith and by the end of the conversation retired bishop Charles Jenkins was inviting the EFN down for a Louisiana pilgrimage to explore Cajun food and justice work.

Thanks to Courtney and her brother Simon, the EFN now has a Facebook page. I gather a website is forthcoming. However this evolves, this burst of conversation has taught me one thing: just as meals are meant to be shared, so too is our formation around meals. Episcopal churches are already doing so much in this area: Episcopal Café has recently highlighted Brewing up church community and Kingdom of Heaven Bread, and I came across the following Tweet yesterday about a Slow Food event at St. Stephen’s in Richmond, VA. How is your church celebrating and teaching about food?