It’s About Dignity

By Johnny Cordero

No one likes to feel unwanted; no one likes to enter a place where one feels unwelcome or resented. Few folks that I have met through various homeless programs relish the idea of walking into a strange place to eat strange food served by strange people with strange looks while sitting next to perfect strangers with strange notions of their own. It’s all just a bit too… well, strange. Sunday Dinner is a grass roots effort to help change that.

Jeanie Miles, the director and founder of Sunday Dinner, calls it a vision from God. “I believe that people who are in hard times, especially families that are unaccustomed to eating in soup kitchens, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” she says. Jeanie reflects on the traditional family Sunday dinners that brought people together and fostered a sense of warmth and security. “After consulting with other outreach ministries in the area, we discovered that no organization provides community meals on Sundays. This is how we came up with the name and the focus: to invite folks to a traditional Sunday dinner served restaurant style and, to the best of our ability, an atmosphere of ‘home’ and better times.”

Jeanie put action to her vision and gathered volunteers from four churches and two local non-profit organizations. She solicited donations and partnered with another ministry to house a traditional Sunday dinner. Every Sunday, between 3pm and 5pm, anyone who is hungry can come into the ROCK Family Worship Center and enjoy a Sunday dinner. It is not a “soup kitchen” style meal. Rather, folks are seated at small tables and waited on just as they would be at any fine restaurant. Depending on donations, meals include salad, a main entre with bread and side dishes, choice of beverage, and at least one kind of dessert.

“Sunday Dinner is not a better soup kitchen or a higher calling,” says Jeanie. “Its primary ministry is to give folks a sense of personal value and acceptance, while feeding them at the same time. We are dedicated to providing healthy meals, a warm place to come out of the cold, and a sense of hope to those who are fighting hunger and despair.”

I have had the pleasure of experiencing Sunday Dinner from both sides – as a server and as a diner. The experience is equally pleasant. But the most gratifying moments are when I see the looks on children’s faces as they enjoy a meal with their family. It is then that I see the tenderness of God and the depth of His love. And I feel grateful that we get pass along a tiny morsel of His goodness.

If you or your church would like to help, please contact Jeanie Miles at (541) 499-6820. Donations are greatly needed; No gift is too small, no help turned away. Your financial gifts, food donations and volunteer help will make a big difference in the lives of so many. All contributions are tax deductible and should be made out to The Rock and earmarked “Sunday Dinner.” We are located at 2330 N. Pacific Highway in Medford, Oregon, 97501.

Pastor Johnny writes from Medford, Oregon. PastorJohnny@charter.net