We concluded last Sunday’s worship service with a procession outside the sanctuary to bless and dedicate a special gift to St. John’s ministry. The Bussani Mobility Team graciously donated a van for our food pantry’s use. This vehicle will transport food and other items from our region’s primary distribution centers to St. John’s, helping us better serve our neighbors facing food insecurity.
Deacon Kerrianne Wilmer, director of our food pantry, and our dedicated volunteers were surprised to receive this wonderful gift. In addition to our sincerest thanks to the Bussani Mobility Team, we are grateful to Suffolk County Legislator RJ Renna for successfully cutting through bureaucratic red tape, enabling us to properly register the vehicle for its important mission.
We were also pleased to have Lindenhurst Mayor Mike Lavorata join us and express his appreciation for our food pantry ministry. Randi Shubin Dresner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Island Harvest, one of our region’s premier food banks, joined in the celebration, as did Karen Boorshtein, the recently retired longtime President and CEO of Family Service League, which serves some of Long Island’s most vulnerable residents.
Hunger on Long Island is real. According to another primary supplier to our pantry, Long Island Cares/Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank, 313,800 Long Islanders are food-insecure, unsure where their next meal will come from. An estimated 71,500 of them are children. That means 1 in 9 Long Island residents, and 1 in 6 children, face hunger. At St. John’s, the number of people we feed with Word and Sacrament during Sunday worship is less than the number of Lindenhurst and neighboring residents who pass through our pantry each week seeking food for their tables.
This coming Sunday, August 16, as part of St. John’s 150th anniversary, we welcome back Rev. Bruce Davidson, who served here under Pastors William Haegert and Donald Herb in 1972-73. Following his internship at St. John’s, Pastor Bruce devoted much of his ministry to issues of poverty, hunger, and human rights in the congregations and synod he served in New Jersey.
He and his advocacy partners successfully increased New Jersey’s state budget allocation for hunger relief from $179,000 to $9 million in about two years. He was also a founding member of the Anti-Poverty Network of New Jersey, serving as co-convenor for ten years, and served on the Board of Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey. Even after retirement, Pastor Bruce continued this ministry as Chair of his synod’s Hunger Ministry Team, helping review ELCA Domestic Hunger grant applications.
So, here is some food for thought as we prepare for Sunday: Let’s recognize the very real hunger needs of our neighbors. As a sign of welcome and appreciation for Pastor Bruce’s lifelong dedication to serving people in need, how about bringing a donation of non-perishable food for our pantry?
Please join us for worship at 9:30 AM to hear Pastor Bruce proclaim the Word of God and celebrate the Holy Meal.
Come feed your soul, and bring along a gift to feed the hungry.
Blessings,
Pastor Marc
