The speaker summarizes the challenges of food insecurity in local communities, including increasing demand at food pantries and decreasing resources. They question whether the current situation reflects God's intention for all people to have enough food. The speaker hopes the gathering will help address immediate hunger needs while also promoting long-term solutions like growing more healthy, local food and educating about nutrition. The speaker envisions if every church established gardens and donated produce, the positive impacts on farmers, families, and moving closer to God's vision of all having enough.

1. Come to the Table healthy food, and those who are getting food into the hands of
15 March 2013 the far too many hungry families in our communities.
Opening Panel: Remarks
The Rev. Patricia Harris Curtis Space and time to understand the complexity of the issues: the
St. John’s Episcopal Church/Sylva, NC difficulties facing all farmers in our communities as farmland
increasingly disappears to be replaced by homes or golf courses
In the 8th chapter of the book of Deuteronomy, Moses addresses pricing the cost of land out of reach for someone wanting to
the Israelites, saying: grow food.
“ This entire commandment that I command you today you must Space and time to understand the difficult lives of those in our
diligently observe, so that you may live and increase, and go in and midst who harvest our largest crops such as apples.
occupy the land that the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors…for
the Lord our God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing Space and time to understand the stresses faced by our food
streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys pantries and kitchens that feed ever increasing numbers of
and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and people with dwindling resources.
pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you may
eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing…” (Deut. 8:1, They know, as we do, that we need to address two things
7-9a, NRSV) simultaneously: hungry families need food now, today. But we
also need to address the broader justice issue of why so many of
The Promised Land…the land where God intends the Israelites our families struggle to put food on the table.
to live. It is the land where God intends each of us to live. A
land where all of us, may eat bread without scarcity, where each And actually there is a third issue: the public health
of us, all of us, will lack nothing. implications of our fast food nation and a population that is
addicted to the highly processed foods that fill our grocery
After listening to Emily describe the depth of food insecurity in stores shelves, food that is quick and easy to prepare,
our communities and hearing Rob describe how the demand at inexpensive and yet filled with salt, sugar and fat.
food pantries is increasing while government assistance for
those pantries is decreasing leaving many in our communities at As a society we pay the costs of our food system that pushes
risk, I think it is a fair question to ask ourselves: Does this sound this cheap food. We pay the costs in treating obesity,
like the place God intends for us to live? Where you may eat hypertension, diabetes, heart disease. Obesity among adults and
bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing? children is at an all time high in our country and we see this in
our communities. This creates much suffering and it is
What gives me great hope are gatherings such as this one: unnecessary, I believe. We need to feed our hungry families but
gatherings that give us space and time to develop those shouldn’t we also feed them well?
relationships among people who tend the land and grow

2. We all know that there are no easy answers to these questions.
These are complicated issues. And that is why I am grateful that Morning prayer:
we have space and time to talk about them today so that we
may get some new ideas about how we can work together. Let us take a moment of quiet to begin our day together so that
Maybe we can get some new ideas about how we all can we can ready ourselves to be present to our Creator and present
become co-producers of healthy fresh food. Maybe we all will to each other. Let us pray.
begin to look at our lawns as potential vegetable gardens or
tuck in a few blueberry bushes among the other shrubs around God of all creation, we give you thanks for the gift of this new
the house. day.
I know that many churches in our community are doing As we work together today, help us to see your image in each
amazing things being the hands and feet of God to people who other.
need to feel God’s loving touch in their lives. I know that many
churches are providing food to those who are hungry and they Help us to hear your wisdom in every voice.
are doing so in creative and wonderful ways.
Help us to see your love in the eyes of every person.
But I want to ask: What if every church in our community
eliminated a bit of lawn and established a vegetable garden or Help us to feel your Presence in all that we do
planted a few fruit trees? What if every church in our
community bought a CSA share for a family in need? Think of so that we can become the Beloved Community that you desire
the positive economic impact on our farmers; think of the for us.
healthy impact on families in need.
All this we ask in your holy Name.
Think of how that might bring us a little bit closer to living in
that Promised Land where God intends for us to live. Amen.
I pray that our time together today yields much fruit.