Kingdom Meal Ministry seeks to make a difference

Kingdom Meal Ministry has one site
running and will open a second program in September.

By LINDA M. LINONIS

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — Did you have a nice Sunday brunch or dinner or maybe a barbecue, and then sat back and napped after you ate too much? Try going through the day with little or nothing to eat.

If it weren’t for the Kingdom Meal Ministry, that’s the situation some people would face. The program offers a Sunday meal to those who need it.

“The whole idea is to make a difference in the city,” said Pastor Rusty Wills, who began the Kingdom Meal Ministry in May of 2006. He’s from Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Poland.

The Sunday meal project, served at 5 p.m. at the Salvation Army, 1501 Glenwood Ave., helps the hungry. Though weekday programs are available, this is one of the few weekend meals offered.

Set to expand

This project has been successful, garnering support from what Pastor Wills calls “the church of Youngstown.” These are multiple congregations from various denominations working together to feed people. Kingdom Meal Ministry is expanding to another site — Heart Reach Ministries, 211 Redondo Lane, off Fifth Avenue. This effort, set to launch Sept. 9, will mirror the program already established.

Tarone Claybrook, executive director at Heart Reach, said that ministry, with a 19-year presence in the city, focuses on children from birth to young adults. It offers day care and after-school programs and in the fall will be offering a resource-opportunity center. That’s in conjunction with Flying High Inc., another community initiative promoting work force development.

“There’s definitely a need,” he said. “We’ll probably see a lot of older teens and young adults ... this will be a chance to have a meal,” Claybrook said. “It underscores the challenges here. There are multigenerational problems.”

Sunday meals

At the Salvation Army site, some 12 to 15 congregations are involved and others are always welcome. The volunteers, supervised by coordinators Lisa and Tony DiRenzo, cook and serve a hot meal.

“The last Sunday of the month usually is the busiest with some 300 people,” Pastor Wills said.

The meal ministry operates on donations. “We’ve been fortunate to have financial backing,” Pastor Wills said. The Salvation Army buys in bulk and buys the food that the ministry uses, and the same process will go for the Heart Reach site.

“We’ll be preparing the food at the Salvation Army and transporting it,” Pastor Wills said.

Lisa DiRenzo said she is not sure about the logistics, but knows it will work out. It always does, she said.

She and her husband got involved in the meal ministry, she said, because they wanted to volunteer.

It’s the couple’s assignment to make sure there are enough volunteers to get the jobs done. The tasks include food preparation, serving, setting up and tearing down, cleanup and visiting with guests.

“We usually have about three churches on one night, with some 25 people,” she said. “We come together as different denominations but it’s for one body.”

Feeding souls

DiRenzo said the project “not only feeds people physically but feeds their souls as well.” Sometimes, she noted, a person may come in and look unhappy or discouraged but “we try to feed their souls with smiles.”

Before each meal, there is a two- to three-minute word from Scripture and the volunteers gather in a circle, hold hands and pray. Afterward, they go to their assigned duties.

Jeannie Rohrbaugh of the Church of the Rock in Salem, will be coordinating the meal ministry at Heart Reach. She started volunteering last year.

“I just had a calling to it. And I just love it,” she said. “And it’s great to see a response from churches of all denominations.”

Jeff Basile of Old North Church in Canfield has been involved in the ministry since the beginning and is on the board.

“I had experience with St. John’s [Episcopal Church in Youngstown] that has a Sunday lunch program,” he said. “I remember leaving the first time experiencing all kind of emotions ... happy, sad, angry.

“I feel that God has put this in my heart ... I have a care that’s never left,” he said of his volunteer effort.

Volunteer satisfaction

Bob Cole, also on the ministry’s board and of Old North, said he struggles to find the words to describe the volunteer effort. “It’s a learning process ... teaching me how to serve [God].”

His wife, Cheryl Cole, echoed the idea, noting that volunteers are “good servants” to God.

Meg McConnell of the Church of the Rock was volunteering for the first time and said she “would be back.”

Rhea Crump of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Boardman, who has been with the ministry almost since it started, said, “It’s the satisfaction of serving people.”

Cheryl Cole, McConnell and Crump were on the assembly line, putting meatloaf, corn and mashed potatoes with gravy on each plate. Other workers refilled pans as needed and Hank Morris of the Church of the Rock was dishwasher.

“You can change or impact someone or something in a positive way,” Morris said of the volunteer effort. “Volunteering gets you inspired ... it’s a great feeling.”

Rohrbaugh, who served as a greeter Sunday night, estimated that 250 to 275 people would be guests at the dinner, which is served to them.