“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”
– Mother Teresa, 1910

I’ve always found comfort in Mother Teresa’s quote. At the same time, I find Matthew 25:32-33 unsettling. Christ is clear throughout scripture that we are to love our neighbors, to reach out and care for one another. If I want to be a sheep, and I do, what does that look like? It seems overwhelming in the world we live in. But I can do something one at a time, something small. And if we do it together at Westminster as a community of believers, that number grows and we make a difference.

Just this summer we fed children in various food insecure local neighborhoods, grew vegetables for those who rely on the SHIM food pantries, and assembled QuicKits to hand out to those experiencing homelessness – showing one person at a time, that God cares for them.

Thanks to a grant from our endowment, we were able to provide tents and supplies to Street MOMs, a nonprofit Christian organization working with women experiencing homelessness in Wheeling, West Virginia, founded in 2018 by Susan Brossman and Lynn Kettler.

To quote Susan, “We are committed to building individual relationships and work to ‘fill in the gaps’ when agencies and support services cannot provide necessities for daily living. We believe that everyone has a right to exist, and we who are able are called to lessen the burden of those that are carrying more than they can handle.”

I learned about Street MOMs from Mary Zora, a member of our congregation. Mary and Susan know each other from college and have stayed in touch over the years.

When I asked Mary about what working with Street MOMs has meant to her, she said, “Susan and I share a compassion for reaching out and helping others. My primary role has been to support the Saturday women’s program at Laughlin Memorial Chapel. Our women come into a caring environment where they can shower, have a meal, replenish needed supplies, play a board game, or make a craft, and most importantly, enjoy each other’s company. These women have enriched my life far more than I could have imagined. I am blessed to play a small role in supporting the efforts of Street MOMs.”

I am going to continue to begin with Mother Teresa’s quote and look for ways to help one person at a time because that is not overwhelming, and I can do that. But the real target is the charge that Jesus has laid out for me, for all of us.

Will you join me?

– Jan Baumann