“Please sir, may I have some more.” Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Dear Friends,

In high school I became thoroughly engrossed by the novels of

Charles Dickens. Having read Great Expectations in 9^th grade, I picked up Oliver Twist, the musical was all the rage at the time, and then I binged on Dickens for at least two years more. What Dickens captured so well was the social and economic upheaval brought on by industrialization. He did so by portraying very sympathetic characters that were rarely stereotypes, rather human beings often caught in unjust and convulsed systems bigger than they were.

We are living in another time of great upheaval and social and economic dislocation. It is easy to feel powerless in such times. What I know as a community of faith is that now more than ever, we need to stand by our tireless commitment to those who are hungry. We have a long track record of support for Grassroots shelter, for the foodbank in various ways, for individuals who seek assistance for food and other needs. The loss of SNAP benefits, the reduction in eligibility for the working poor under new government funding means that more people than ever are quite simply, hungry.

What Charles Dickens taught me, when I thought church was full of hypocrites and only went under duress, and the gospel teaches is that there is no human act of mercy and kindness that is too small. Now I am urging us to engage those small acts of loving kindness: to round up at the grocery store to help the food bank, or donate there, to drop a can of food in the bin at the store or wherever you see one, to bring non-perishable items to our food bins at church, to buy a grocery card and give it to Grace for those who call looking for food, to stretch out your hand, and volunteer to make a casserole for the shelter. There are probably lots of other ideas better than these. The key is do one, or two!

We are a community rich in God’s love and grace, and the world needs it now more than ever.

God’s peace and keeping

Mary+