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Dawn Moore

Jesus Love and Sourdough

June 9, 2020 by Conference Office

by Dawn Moore, Souderton congregation

Dawn Moore, Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church board chair, with a loaf of imperfect, but tasty, sourdough bread and a blob of bubbly starter.
Photo provided by Dawn Moore

There’s been a shortage of yeast across the USA during this pandemic. Like some people hoarded toilet paper, bakers bought up this key ingredient. Without yeast on hand, I called my friend, Tyler Kratz, to ask for a bit of his sourdough starter.  Tyler gladly handed over the blob, but was quite cryptic about what I should do.  “Feed it” in a few hours, he said, and then asked if I owned a kitchen scale. Huh?

The naturally-occuring yeast in sourdough starter eats ordinary flour like nobody’s business, yielding exponential growth that demands immediate baking.  It’s as ravenous as it is limitless.  Tyler gave me that first blob eight weeks ago. I have yet to master the art of sourdough baking, but have done well enough.  I’ve also given away bits of starter, with the same cryptic questions: Do you have a kitchen scale? Do you understand how to feed this blob?

Life as a whole felt quite cryptic when Montgomery County, PA abruptly went under stay-at-home orders on March 13. We at Souderton Mennonite Church had no idea what was ahead. Two things seemed certain: the crisis was just beginning and needs in our community could grow exponentially. Our response must be effective and sustainable for the long haul. We needed to learn how to “feed” our community of needs with little preparation or expertise.

A brainstorming group was formed under the direction of Pastor Jenifer Eriksen-Morales. Any idea for extending “Jesus Love” was fair game.  Immediately, some purchased and delivered food to families in need. We also donated funds and assisted in packing food for families with our friends at Emmanuel Lutheran and Zion Mennonite.  Meanwhile a thoughtful church member organized online tutoring to help frazzled parents who were now educating children at home. 

A “Little Free Pantry” was born under our carport, allowing neighbors to anonymously “give what you can and take what you need.” This place of Jesus Love is used daily, often hourly, as neighbors tangibly care for one another.  One recipient recently shared, “I prayed on my way here that I would find baby supplies. I’m so glad they are stocked as I didn’t know what I would do. Thank you!”  

The Little Free Pantry is a self-sustaining initiative located under the carport at Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church. Photo credit: Dawn Moore

As I learned how to care for and share my sourdough starter, our congregation also shared their ingredients of love, compassion, desire, and care with our broader community. We have been amazed at the way our starters have multiplied, creating more than we ever imagined. 

We also saw a need in caring for frontline workers, such as the ER doctor who has lived in a hotel to protect his family from COVID-19,  the hospice nurse who lovingly accompanies patients in their final holy moments without beloved family members, or the high school student who delivers food trays to residents in a local care facility, offering a kind word to these isolated seniors. How might we show appreciation for their sacrifices? The idea we settled on, Pay-it-Forward Frontline, has the added advantage of supporting our local economy. 

A loaf of finished sourdough bread from the novice baker. Photo credit: Dawn moore

Pay-It-Forward Frontline invites you to donate funds in any amount to local restaurants to be used as “thank you meals” for frontline workers. SMC has seeded four Souderton/Telford area establishments, with the hope that others will join locally and in other communities. 

I’ve learned to keep my sourdough in the fridge for longer stretches, bringing it to life only when time allows.  What would happen if we allowed the sourdough of Jesus Love to grow unhindered, sharing it lavishly, and growing it exponentially in our communities and beyond?

Click here to read more about the Pay it Forward frontline campaign.

Filed Under: Articles, Blog Tagged With: Dawn Moore, missional, Souderton Mennonite Church

No One is “Left Out”!

January 10, 2018 by Conference Office

By Dawn Moore, Souderton Mennonite Church

I had heard there would be a dancing star, singing angels, and a band of clever shepherds in the Christmas Eve musical at Souderton Mennonite Church (SMC), but I was not prepared for the flock of live sheep that came bleating down the aisles!  A second look proved these to be a bevy of adorable children, dressed in white fluff and playing their parts so convincingly that our entire row did a double take.  How cute!

The SMC Christmas Eve musical, “Left Out,” was the result of months of preparation by a multi-talented group.  Actors, musicians, adult and children’s choirs, dancers, hand bell ringers, set and costume designers, and lighting and audio specialists all came together under the direction of Lori Cassel, Paul Bennett, Sarah Scorzetti, and Pastor Tim Bentch, who also wrote and directed the drama.  The result was a meaningful afternoon that literally set the stage for Christmas Eve.

The story begins with the young shepherd boy Benesh who agrees to take the first watch, while his comrades settled down to sleep. When an angel appears bringing Good News, the shepherds awake in a hurry and soon agree: “We must go to Bethlehem to see this great thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  But alas, someone must stay behind to care for the sheep; Benesh reluctantly fulfills his duty, meaning he will be left out of this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Narrated by a mysterious old man, the story unfolded through scripture, prayer, dialogue, poetry, and angelic music, some of it sung by angels, who were every bit as adorable as the sheep! Benesh and his cousin Miriam followed a magical dancing star and found their way to the manger and eventually the cross. Two original compositions by David E. Chávez, with lyrics written by SMC’s own Jason Martin were debuted alongside more familiar Christmas music shared by soloists Emma Bentch and Alex Martin, the SMC choirs, and the whole congregation.

When Benesh finally arrived at the stable to see the baby Jesus, I felt tears welling in my eyes. In the end, all who attended felt the unmistakable love of our all-powerful God who came to earth as a helpless baby. No one was left out of the greatest story ever told.

 

 

Filed Under: Articles, News Tagged With: Christmas, Conference News, Dawn Moore, Souderton Mennonite Church, Tim Bentch

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