Economic changes in recent years has given rise to record numbers of people accessing food banks in communities around Atlantic Canada. Many of these people are turning to local churches for help as well.
Edith Avenue Baptist Church in Saint John, NB, is offering cooking classes as a way to help people who are on tight budgets learn new ways to make their food last longer. They are opening the “EA Cafe” at the church in east Saint John on the first, third and fifth Tuesdays each month from noon until 3 p.m. beginning on October 30th.
Rev. Grant Alcorn,the senior pastor of Edith Avenue, describes the heart of the gospel is God calling humanity to a right relationship with Him. “Issues of economic concerns make it hard for the heart to be open to the message of where to find rest through a right relationship with God. The EA Cafe is an effort to help people relieve some of the economic concerns in their lives.”
This is a great example of a church impacting the community and providing hope to those struggling to feed their families. “The community is ministered to as people see the reality of God through good works and the sharing of the gospel in word and deed by the folks at Edith Avenue Baptist.” The EA Cafe and cooking classes are part of a developing program of different initiatives being undertaken at Edith Avenue as we seek to participate more fully in the building of the Kingdom of God here in Saint John.
For more of the story, read the online coverage from CBC – www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2012/10/10/nb-church-cooking-class-food-bank.html
