In 2022, a ministry called His Cup Runneth Over approached St. John’s, Saint Johns with an unusual request. The ministry used a makeshift trailer (a fifth wheel turned into a food truck) to serve lunches to the community, and the volunteers asked if they could use the church’s parking lot, since it was in a good location. Instead, St. John’s pastor, Rev. James Pearl, showed the ladies the church’s kitchen, which was well-equipped and spacious, and offered for them to use it instead.
They were delighted with the offer, since their trailer was very small and on its last legs. After the church had the kitchen certified by the Health Department, the volunteers, joined by members of the church, got to work. The name of the ministry was changed to Good News Kitchen.
The trailer used to serve 75 lunches a week. Once they moved to the kitchen, that number grew and is now at 250 lunches per week—100 of which are delivered by volunteers to people who cannot come to the church, including residents of the nearby Suntree Apartments community. Free lunches are provided on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for anyone in the community who wants it. (Click here to see a news story about the ministry.)
Last year, Rev. Pearl attended one of the Beyond the Breakwater (BTB) events at Messiah, Midland. There, he learned about grants to support the ministry. He applied for a grant and the Good News Kitchen was awarded $10,000, which will allow them to provide over 500 lunches a week starting in September (Click here to see the July 8 news story about the grant).
Peter Prochnow, the Michigan District’s Director of Worship Arts and Community Engagement who coordinates the BTB events, says: “We thank God for His continued blessings for St John’s in Saint Johns. Pastor Jim Pearl and his congregation continue to serve and love their community, moving regularly beyond the breakwater. We celebrate their most recent grant, allowing them to now serve their community twice a week with their Good News kitchen. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!”
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Beyond the Breakwater is all about mobilizing the church and caring for your community. After gathering at Messiah, Midland for an introduction to the philosophy behind the ministry, you spend time in the community and see it in action. You will gain knowledge of the structure, driving force, and activities within Messiah, Midland’s ministry to the community.
Future Beyond The Breakwater events:
Photo courtesy of Rev. James Pearl
