Faith and a Soup Kitchen

Jennifer Thome

February 16, 2004

The creamy gravy is the most popular.

Volunteers gather to boil carrots, slice apples and bake brownies at the Park Avenue Christian Church on 85th street in Manhattan. On the second Saturday of each month volunteers from the Community of Hope, an outreach ministry of the Manhattan Church of Christ and the Park Avenue Christian Church, feed the homeless. On a recent Saturday, eight volunteers chat and chop while preparing food to feed the hungry, who wait just outside the wooden church doors. They wrap themselves in coats and scarves to stay warm before their hot meal. Seven pans of chicken sprinkled with thyme and sage bake in the four heavy black ovens. The heat warms the commercial kitchen and the volunteers need only t-shirts. Their coats and sweaters lay bundled on a table.

Every week in the basement of the Park Avenue Church, volunteers feed over one hundred homeless and hungry people. Each Saturday the group of volunteers changes. Four churches rotate Saturdays to share the cost: The Manhattan Church of Christ, the Park Avenue Christian Church, the Universal Temple of Judaism (housed in the same building as the Park Avenue Christian Church), and the Park Avenue Methodist Church. Each church contributes $5,000 a year and labor from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

All the food is bought from stores. "In the past, the food was all donated but often it was not fresh," said Henry Hughes, the organizer of the food program. Now, volunteers suggest ingredients and meals they like to eat. The only donated items on the menu this Saturday are sugar packets for the coffee and tea.

Hughes is a tall man with slouching shoulders and bright white hair. His knowledge of cooking and bits of random information make the volunteers laugh and work diligently. "God will take care of your back pain," Hughes says after one volunteer, Rick Torres, complains about standing up too long. "Many doctors do not see any physical difference between backs that hurt and do not hurt." Torres nods in agreement but says nothing. The conversation ends abruptly because the gravy needs whisking.

Sonny, a woman with ringlets curling around her head and a smile that matches her alert eyes, has been a volunteer for the past four years; she demands to make the gravy. Hughes laughs. He says the last time Sonny was in charge of the gravy she ruined it. Regardless of Sonny's previous mishap with the gravy, Hughes lets her go ahead. She whisks the chicken grease, thyme, sage, flour and milk in a round heavy cast iron pan until it looks like soup. Hughes prods Sonny to taste the gravy, but she makes excuses; she does not like creamy food. Finally, she dips her finger so a pin drop amount of gravy sticks. She licks her finger and is satisfied.

The volunteers eat 30 minutes before the doors open. Baked chicken, potatoes, carrots, mixed greens, apples and onions fill their plates. They set the overflowing plates of food at one of the 15 cafeteria tables in the next room, but they do not sit yet. Everyone joins hands in a circle around the tables to pray.

Once the prayer is finished they dig in and the conversation turns to religion. The Manhattan Church of Christ and the Park Avenue Christian Church were once joined. They split in July of 1920 over whether music could be played at services. The Manhattan Church of Christ believes the Bible states music is not allowed in the service, while the Park Avenue church says music is permissible. Both churches believe in one God, a literal interpretation of the Bible and no formal doctrines. Hughes considers himself a member of both churches and says the only difference between them is that one lacks musical instruments.

Rick Torres, a member of the Manhattan Church, came to feed the homeless because of the religious program the church completed last week. The series emphasized five teachings: worship, fellowship, missionary work, growing in Christ, and serving as a servant. "It's about living healthy and wanting to share with someone," said Torres.

At 2:30 p.m., the doors swing open. Torres stands behind a table filled with steaming trays, pans and bowls. The first to reach the table is a woman hunched over from age with shining blue eyes and a bright smile. Her short, white hair is full of tight curls. Every age, race and gender lines up behind her. Everyone receives a piece of paper with a number on it. They place it in a wicker basket at the top of the table and pick up a flimsy blue and white paper plate. They travel down the food table while volunteers pile food on plates.

"Do you want the gravy on the chicken? Or just the potatoes?" Torres says. "Amanda, can you make a hole in the mashed potatoes so I can put more gravy on them?"

Community of Hope gives food freely, but the volunteers want Saturdays to be more than a hot meal. "This is not only a place to eat but to have a social occasion to meet," Hughes says.

They offer Bible study but do not insist on it. At table 15, in the back of the room, the people congregate for an impromptu meeting about the Bible. "If anyone wants to join us for Bible reading, please bring your food to the back table," yells Carl Garrison, the minister of Community of Hope, as he stands in the middle of the room turning slow circles.

"We have fellowship at the beginning or in the middle of the meal. About a quarter participate at different levels," says Hughes.

On this Saturday only nine out of the 113 people fed sit at the last table. The emphasis is not on religion. It is on food, and lots of it. "We want to make people feel welcome. There is plenty of food so people can count on coming back for seconds and come back for thirds," says Hughes.

Even before everyone finishes his or her first serving, a line for seconds grows to 30 people. After seconds, the volunteers serve thirds with tin foil to wrap up the extras for later. Some people bring plastic containers to fill with salad or potatoes. Those who do not have extra containers ask for some.

"Can I have a cup to fill with gravy?" more than one person asks.

(Updated April 19, 2004)