Members of Ridgewood Park UMC last Sunday delivered 2,000 lbs. of groceries to the Wilkinson Center, which feeds many East Dallas families in need.
The pastor at Ridgewood Park United Methodist last Sunday sent his congregation out to the grocery store, to buy food for the Wilkinson Center. Church staffer Ruth Hardesty tells the story:
For the second year in a row, unsuspecting members at Ridgewood Park United Methodist Church in East Dallas got a jolt during morning worship services on January 23rd.
“Today, each of you is the sermon,” Pastor Rob Spencer told his congregants after reading the scripture text on Jesus’ feeding the multitudes.
He told them that the Wilkinson Center’s food pantry needed restocking and asked them to help by leaving the service directly for local grocery stores to buy needed items.
Brian Burton, executive director of the Wilkinson Center, was on hand to encourage members by reminding them: “What you do as a gathered church, and now what you will do as the scattered church, is so important!”
The list of Wilkinson Center needs was included in their Sunday bulletin. The service was disbanded and congregants returned a half hour later with over 2,000 pounds of food.
Burton said that in the down economy many more people were turning to the center for assistance.
“Thanks to you,” he said he would tell needy clients, “Help is on the way!”
To learn more, please visit www.ridgewoodparkchurch.org and www.wilkinsoncenter.org. —Ruth Hardesty
