Food for Thought

Doing the Dishes – Intro:

Welcome to this UMTV Web Brief. I’m Reed Galin.

The Internet has introduced all sorts of new activities into everyday life, and certainly one of the most popular activities online has been the auction business. Most people have heard of e-Bay, known for meeting the needs of Elvis aficionados, car buffs and the like. But guess what? If you’re into church history, you can find some treasures to trade, too.

Doing the Dishes – Story:

They pass the plate pretty often at the Southwell residence. It’s an event the couple welcomes, especially Barbara, a lifelong United Methodist. She’s collected more than 1,400 church plates.

Barbara Southwell: “A lot of it we have found at estate sales and yard sales. Even more has come from people who have heard about the collection and have sent us a plate.”

They’re from around the world, representing milestones in the histories of individual churches.

Barbara: “But the majority of them have some indication of when the church was founded and what the congregation numbered and some even when they had a kitchen installed. Back here is part of the collection itself.”

The collection began with just three plates back in 1988.

Barbara: “We use every nook and corner of the house now. If you see a strange box, you go, ‘Oh, OK, that’s a church plate.’”

As the collection stacks up in the Southwell home, so does its significance.

Barbara: “The whole purpose of the collection is to preserve the heritage and the history of individual congregations in all of Methodism.”

The plates are more than just images in glass. They serve up memories.

Barbara: “This dear little old lady came up and she picked up this plate and held it against her chest, tears running down her cheeks, and said, ‘I never thought I’d see my little church again.’”

Barbara (Nat Sound): “Here’s one by St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.”

Online auctions are tempting, but now the majority of plates come from folks like Barbara, eager to preserve a congregation’s history.

Barbara: “Several churches have been destroyed either thought a tornado or through fire. In a number of cases, the only thing left is the church plate.”

Doing the Dishes – Tag:

Barbara Southwell says she doesn’t have a personal favorite from her collection, although she was happy to discover that there is actually a Southwell United Methodist Church in Southwell, England. She contacted the pastor, and now is the proud owner of a Southwell commemorative plate, and even a vase from the church.

Recipe for Success – Intro:

Sometimes the most valuable gift one can give is a lesson. This is true for a chef who wanted to do more than just feed homeless people. He knew they were hungry for something else.

Recipe for Success – Story:

John Dunbar: “I’m holding my knife almost like a paint brush or a pencil.”

To John Dunbar, this is art – bringing together different ingredients and creating something magical.

John Dunbar / Chef, New Day Centers: “It’s a very soulful experience, so to speak. It speaks right to the necessity of life.”

A necessity that’s been missing in the lives of his students, all of them homeless. Not just providing food, this sous chef is providing options.

John Dunbar: “We’re also trying to give them the skills to know what to look for in the grocery store and how to use their dollars if they’re going to last longer.”

Lydia Sewere: “I did a lot of fast food, a lot of junk food.”

Old patterns are hard to break, but better nutrition and new experiences are on the menu here.

Lydia Sewere: “The biggest thing I’ve learned from him is teamwork.”

Edwin Hooper: “Today I learned how to cut a turkey right.”

That’s a major accomplishment for this single father caring for his three children.

Edwin Hooper: “Worried about where you’re going to sleep next, and then you come to a place like this and they help you out.”

United Methodist Outreach Ministries runs the New Day homeless shelter in Phoenix.

Edwin Hooper: “You get into this, like cooking and stuff, and then you get your experience and you can be a cook or whatever you want to be.”

This old hotel is a refuge and, hopefully, a place for new beginnings.

John Dunbar: “I’m providing all the ingredients and they have to put the recipe together.”

Recipe for Success – Tag:

Sort of a contemporary spin on the adage about giving a hungry man a fish as opposed to teaching him to fish. John says one of his students has already found a job. She is now a chef at a Salvation Army kitchen in Phoenix.

On the next UMTV Web Brief, bringing mother and child back together again – keeping families intact when a parent is in prison.

“The more rehabilitation programs we have on the inside and the more networking that we have on the outside is going to help them.”

Thanks for watching. Make it a good week.