Food and Faith in Holston Conference
About a year ago, we ended up with a last-minute mess of donated collard greens we wanted to serve at our takeout lunch ministry. We knew just who to call for guidance. JaNaé Swanson-Brown says she learned to cook her Southern-soul collards by first watching her mother and grandmother in Millen, Georgia, and then perfecting... Continue Reading →
“It’s not gourmet. It’s just simple.” That what Ann Low Reego said about the shrimp creole recipe she shared with us, along with a love story to make us smile. This dish really is easy to make, and the results are simply lovely – lovely enough to serve on Valentine’s Day for 47 years in... Continue Reading →
Remember community dinners before COVID-19? Those days will return, and I'll bet they'll be even more successful and appreciated. I saw this wonderful video from United Methodist Communications more than a year ago. A pastor in Toledo, Ohio, opened up his house to offer "LifeLine Toledo," a big dinner ministry reaching people well beyond the... Continue Reading →
A month ago, we went on a quest for a great broccoli salad to serve at our free community drive-thru lunch. Several tasty suggestions were shared, but we chose this recipe from the collection of a 102-year-old woman who lived in Kenbridge, Virginia. We didn’t expect all of our 90 guests to like it, but... Continue Reading →
I’m on a small team of people who run a food ministry in north Knoxville, Tennessee. Our friend Marci Villanueva created these cookies because we need to use up sweet potatoes stored in our freezers, but also because we wanted to provide dessert a little special for last Saturday's free takeout lunch. The sweet potatoes... Continue Reading →
August 27, 2020 As the people lined up for their breakfast this morning in an alley, Shades of Grace United Methodist Church quietly celebrated 10,000 meals served since the pandemic became a reality in Kingsport, Tennessee. “We’ve never missed a single day of serving,” said the Rev. Will Shewey, even though COVID-19 forced Shades of... Continue Reading →
For the first time since the pandemic started in March, I went on an overnight work trip last week. I visited Alexander Memorial United Methodist Church, where every Thursday a small team led by Pastor Daniel Bradley cooks and delivers hot meals to hungry neighbors in and around Bishop, Virginia. The church struggles financially. Last... Continue Reading →
In our last post, we shared a new feature on our denominational website, Our United Methodist Table, and a vintage recipe for Potato Puffs. Here's another vintage recipe -- from 1978 and Macedonia United Methodist Church in North Carolina -- for Lemon Whippersnaps. https://youtu.be/8ND2gUaJLVk Let us know if you try it! You may reach me... Continue Reading →
Oh, how I love those sacred recipes from covered-dish dinners and bake sales of lore, where many are gathered with plastic comb binders and the culinary saints whose names are preserved on the pages will be blessed from tabletops for generations to come. Just kidding, sort of. I have loved cookbooks since my 20s, when... Continue Reading →
The Henderson Settlement campus is nearly empty this summer. But tucked away in one of five greenhouses is Casey Smith with a water hose. She's nurturing the vegetables and greens she planned and planted before everyone realized the pandemic is going to stay awhile. “God gives me the ability to do it,” she says. “I... Continue Reading →
