When is a soup kitchen not a soup kitchen?
When meals are served to show God's love for His people.
The Garden of feEden is an incredibly active ministry multiple times a week for the Hungry, Addicted and Homeless within our community.
Opening in June 2014, the ministry serves 120 to 180 meals per week to Barre’s homeless, addicted, hungry and otherwise marginalized population. This effort has been a great success, exceeding even the expectations of those who launched it. We attempt to meet people where they are, without rules and demands on them, and to treat them with respect and dignity. We use only metal tableware, and melamine plates and cups, the tables always have table cloths, as they would if we had them as guests at our home. Meals are preceded by a mini sermon with specific application to our guests, followed by prayer. Guests are encouraged to support the operation of the ministry by sorting, preparing, cooking, serving and cleaning. Every effort is made to have at least one church member sit at each table to develop relationships and share the Gospel when the situation presents itself.
Meals are served at noon Tuesdays, Thursdays, and following worship on Sundays.
As of May 1, 2020 the kitchen has served over 52,700 meals to our community. We have put out over 333,000 pounds of produce, fruit, bread and other items in our food pantry. Just under 900 Bibles have been placed into the hands of community members.
