A Culture of Service
“There is a lot of love in this world, most of it moderate. But under the blessing of God, gospel doctrine cracks our hearts open to receive something from beyond this world. We see how massive God’s love really is, and so we give up our aloofness and come together to care for one another in real ways, even as God wonderfully cares for us. That is when a church starts looking like a community where John 3:16 dwells in power. That is when the world can see his love in reality, and many will join us in Christ and live forever. Gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture, and it matters.”
Ray Ortlund, The Gospel: How The Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ
There’s not much that can match the feeling of someone helping you when you need it most. And as Christians, it’s not only our duty to serve others; the love of Christ compels us to work for the good of others. When we care for others sacrificially, it manifests the love of Christ in real-time, through a real person, in the middle of their very real circumstances. Serving one another is a unique intersection of our beliefs and our works. To use a phrase that might be a bit tired, we get to practice what we preach.
One of the best ways to serve at First Baptist Starkville is by joining a community that serves, and if you want to find a group of people to learn with, pray with, and serve with, you can join a Community Group. Community Groups at First Baptist Starkville are groups of men and women from all generations and stages of life. They’re a place where we work to consider each other over ourselves. That work doesn’t just happen within the walls of our church. Many of our Community Groups serve locally through service projects and local organizations. That’s a crucial part of the ministry of our church. As individuals, our time and resources are limited, but when each person in our church takes it upon themselves to care for one another, our capacity to serve grows exponentially. It is the body of Christ, working together in unison, that can make the change that’s necessary in the world.
I recently learned about Casserole Kitchen, a local ministry that regularly serves free, hot meals to those in need. Some of our Community Groups support Casserole Kitchen, which is volunteer-operated and supported by the Starkville Church Coalition and several other local organizations like the local Kiwanis Club.
“The Starkville Church Coalition is a partnership of 15 local churches that work together, under the leadership of Rex Buffington and Loren Zimmerman, to supply all of the meals provided via Casserole Kitchen.”
They serve three meals a week: Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 pm and Saturday at 11:00 am. I had a chance to talk to the co-leaders of Casserole Kitchen: Rex Buffington and Loren Zimmerman. According to Rex, Casserole Kitchen started 12 years ago through the leadership and determination of Gery Cummings, who recognized the level of food insecurity present in our community. Rex remarked that Gery understood the extent of the task at hand, “While serving three hot meals each week seemed like a lot for a single church, Gery believed it would be possible if churches came together to cook and serve.” In the beginning, many people dismissed the viability of such a ministry, but Gery was determined to make Casserole Kitchen work. Rex remembers Gery’s commitment fondly, but even more so, he recalls Gery’s dedication to what was one of his final acts of service, “Gery would not give up. It is especially remarkable that Gery was in the final stages of terminal cancer at the time. He got Casserole Kitchen up and running but died less than a year later. His courage is still an inspiration to all of us.” Gery passed away in 2009 after a ten-year battle with cancer. However, his legacy still thrives today. Casserole Kitchen continues to bless the hungry and hurting in our community.
Casserole Kitchen has continued to operate throughout the pandemic, serving around fifty individuals at every meal. Rex and Loren are the co-leaders of the program. Loren explained their partnership, “Rex and I work jointly as co-directors. We work to find churches and fill vacancies. If we’re not covered, Rex and I jump in to take care of the meal. We hold everything together.” The past year has looked a bit different for their ministry as well. In the past, the church that provided a meal would also get to visit with the guests they served. However, since the onset of the pandemic, they’ve moved away from a buffet setup to carry out.
Volunteers still provide food, but rather than serve, they drop it off at the Episcopal Church parish hall downtown. A small volunteer team then packs to-go plates and bags them so that guests can pick them up and be on their way. Rex remarked that they’ve “worked hard to keep both volunteers and guests as safe as possible and have been able to continue Casserole Kitchen throughout COVID.” They hope to return to a more social gathering as soon as it is safe to do so. Though their procedures may have changed, the needs of our community have not. Loren recalled their attendance this past year, “We prepare for 50 people, and we generally have that many at every meal. It’s stayed steady over the year.
God has looked over and provided. We’ve always been able to have enough food for everybody that isn’t late.” I asked Rex and Loren what their favorite parts of the ministry were, and for both of them, they’re grateful they can fill a need in someone’s life.
“For me,” says Rex, “it’s seeing hungry people get the food they need. Jesus commanded us to feed the hungry, and doing so is a blessing. It is also great working with the volunteers from all the churches committed to this ministry.”
Loren adds, “I love providing a meal to those who need it and seeing the people who come: we have regulars who attend every meal, three times a week. We’ll also ordinarily have someone new every time we serve a meal. We’re able to provide a service to those who need it in our community.”
It’s great to hear from Rex and Loren, but I wanted to go one step further. Like I said earlier, one of the best ways to serve at First Baptist Starkville is to join a community that serves. I reached out to the Community Groups at our church that support Casserole Kitchen to learn about their favorite parts of serving in this ministry. Here’s what they had to say.
Cathy Curtis
Our community group has really enjoyed serving in the Casserole Kitchen ministry. We believe that we have been blessed materially and spiritually to be a blessing to others and share their burdens. Our times of preparing and serving food in the ministry have helped us better understand the needs in our community. The times we have served have been a great bonding time for our class, and our hearts have been touched by the sweet spirits of the people we have had the privilege of serving. It’s humbling to realize that the gift of baking a casserole or a dessert can remind others that God cares and loves them.
Darla Griffin
Mission & Ministry Community Group
Our community group, Mission & Ministry, first assisted Casserole Kitchen in 2014. We had heard about this ministry from class members Joe & Cookie Pennell and were looking for a local opportunity to serve Starkville in a meaningful way.
Our first experience with Casserole Kitchen consisted of us assisting another class (so we could see how things worked). And since the fall of 2014, our class has had opportunities to provide meals two or three times each year, and God always provides.
At one meal, Jerry prepared some red cinnamon apples. Most of the folks eating that day had never had one, and many initially thought they were receiving a cored tomato. Several of the guests asked for and wrote down the recipe.
In the past, we would prepare the meal as well as serve the guests. For some guests, this may be the only time they get a sit-down meal served to them like in a casual restaurant. But during this season of COVID restrictions, we have missed getting to serve the people in person.
Susan Heath
The Journey Community Group
I have enjoyed volunteering with the Casserole Kitchen. My friend Myra Keasler and I try to volunteer at least twice a year and include our families or our D-Group if they are available. COVID has changed the protocol so we can no longer see the people, but we still enjoy cooking and taking food. It is easy to get caught up in our own lives and not truly see what is happening in our community. Casserole Kitchen has given me the opportunity to show love and support to the community and allowed me to meet lots of new people.
Myra Keasler
The Journey Community Group
The way I heard about Casserole Kitchen was through my Community Group. I signed up to help with one of the rotations, not really knowing about or understanding the importance of this ministry. My first time preparing and serving was incredible and blessed my heart significantly. It was my honor to cook and serve my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The next time the opportunity to serve came along, my best friend Susie and I signed up with our kids to help. We continue to serve with Casserole Kitchen actively, and our kids enjoy it as much as we do! This ministry has taught me to embrace people as they are and understand where they are coming from. Real, sometimes raw life lessons are demonstrated right here in Starkville, MS. God calls us to love and carry out His message to all. Casserole Kitchen is one rewarding way that we have been able to feel a purpose and share this truth in ministry with our adult kids. Seeing the faces of these dear people on a Saturday morning humbles my heart and lifts my spirits. I am thankful for our church and our community for providing this opportunity and allowing me to experience life with people I may have never had the occasion to meet.
Gayle Kraker
The Journey Community Group
It’s just a wonderful way to serve our community and takes very little commitment, and I would encourage anybody in our church to be active in it if they have an opportunity.
Judy Nagel
Handbells
If you are interested in serving others...Casserole Kitchen is the place for you! I have enjoyed working with the Casserole Kitchen ministry. For me, the pleasure comes in connecting Community Groups, D-Groups, and individuals with this local ministry which benefits those in need.
Merry & Joy Pennell
Mission & Ministry Community Group
Merry and I have been helping with Casserole Kitchen since she went to a ladies’ night out in 2013, where Judy Nagel mentioned the opportunity to provide food and help serve the following Saturday. We quickly realized the need and wanted to serve regularly. She brought the possibility of participating in this ministry to our Mission and Ministry Community Group. Our group adopted this as one of our service projects, and it has been a very humbling experience. I believe the general population does not see our town as having people with food insecurity. Having a time and a place for anyone in need to enjoy a good meal in a comfortable environment and feel the Christian love of the people serving gives them hope and us a better spirit for helping those in need. This last year during the COVID pandemic has been hard on everyone, with Casserole Kitchen forced to go to a carry-out format for providing the meals, eliminating social interaction with the people we are reaching. We miss talking, sharing Scripture, and praying with those we are serving and hope that we will be able to return to a dine-in format in the future.
There are many ways to serve others. It could be a mowed lawn or a changed tire, but I think a warm meal is a special comfort, one that we can all appreciate. If you’d like to support the Casserole Kitchen ministry, there are a few great ways to do so!
Volunteer along with the folks that are already serving at First Baptist! There’s plenty of opportunities to help provide and prepare food right here at our church. You can contact the church office, and they’ll help you get connected to the ministry.
Make a monetary contribution. Occasionally, Rex and Loren have to rely on donations to provide a meal when a church or local organization cannot do so. You can donate via designated offerings to the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection (click “Give to Casserole Kitchen” from the drop down menu).
There are so many needs in our world, and I’m thankful for people like Gery Cummings, Rex Buffington, and Loren Zimmerman, who are willing to dedicate themselves to a seemingly impossible task. Their work has inspired volunteers and organizations to step up and help fight food insecurity in our community. I hope you’ll follow their example and the example of volunteers from our church by joining a community that serves.