I received a notice this morning that the local Ace Hardware, where I have shopped for 40 years, has a new smoker ambassador. These probably doesn’t mean much to many of you, but I have known the owner of the hardware store, and his son, for decades. In fact, Chris, who currently run the stores, went to school with our oldest daughter, Kristin.
One of the great things Chris has done is to add multiple lines of grills, griddles, smokers and other ways to cook food over charcoal or wood. While there are many well known brands such as Weber and Traeger, they also carry Yoder smokers, a niche market product, and some very high end gas grills as well. They have become well known in Carmel, where we live, and today I learned that another group of folks is touting the business of smoking food while making stronger relationships and donating time to the community. In fact, the workers are a group of area pastors who have started a non-profit dedicated to feeding the hungry and bonding over the hobby of smoked meat!
Now, I am a huge smoker guy; I even worked with my son-in-law, Matt, this past weekend and we made more than 40 pounds of pulled pork from about 75# of pork butts. It was a labor of love. From beginning to end, we spent way more than 30 hours dedicated to making the best pulled pork you have ever had. It is time consuming and tiring, but our family thinks that it is well worth the effort.
So imagine my surprise when I checked out smokingpastorproject.com, the new smoking ambassador at the hardware and throughout the Indy community. It’s a group that combines the word of God with family and food. Quite honestly, this really spoke to my heart. The group is local, here in Indianapolis, and has a mission of evangelizing through hosting events that focus on smoking and deepening relationships. Many of their events are for homeless folks, first responders or people who have a curiosity about what they do. As a 501(c) non-profit, they accept donations and have sponsors who help them reach the lost or those who have never had a relationship with Jesus. As they say, they work on “crafting smiles, one bite at a time…”
I have known others, including my friend, Thom Johnson, who have great experience in combining faith and food ministry by offering a restaurant within the walls of the church, but I don’t know any groups that have such a narrow focus – a focus that delivers food and faith by means of a food truck.
To cut to the chase, I have heard of several of the principals and board members in this enterprise and actually sat down and wrote them a note, expressing my desire to learn more about their ministry and outreach. I can really get excited about combining two of my passions – smoking great food and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m just a little upset that I didn’t think of the idea myself! But then again, when a hobby turns into a mission, or a business, it has been my experience that it is more difficult to keep the joy in it. This group seems to be able to walk the thin line.
Our verse for tonight is from the prophet Isaiah. He tells us how God feels about those who help the oppressed and the hungry. Isaiah tells us, in Isaiah 58:10, “and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”
Clearly, I think that pastors moving outside the walls of the church to feed the hungry is worth celebrating. My encouragement this evening is that God loves it when we serve others- especially in areas of physical need. My prayer is that this ministry grows and that we continue to think of new and creative ways to help the marginalized while stirring the passions of those who are able to help. Because, once again, our pastor smokers believe that “food is more than fuel… it’s fellowship!” Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…