"You give them something to eat."

What would it mean for a congregation to take that command from Jesus more seriously? In 2008, Zion Lutheran on Main Street in Akron asked that question. They also asked one another what God was calling them to be about as a congregation of Lutherans in their particular context. Addressing these questions enabled Zion, a 124-year-old congregation with fewer than 200 members, to wrestle with the possibility of a new identity and a new future. In the process, the people of Zion proved that small congregations can make a big impact in their communities.

"We were struggling with purpose, a sense of mission and direction for ourselves as a congregation," said Pastor Matthew Lenahan, who was called to Zion in 2005. "We were declining, failing, dying--- and uncertain about our life together. But we had faith and believed that God would help and guide us."

Lenahan describes the congregation as an unidentified redevelopment congregation. "Some people at Zion were ready to embrace God's future plan for the congregation and others were not," he said. Together with their pastor, Zion's leaders focused on listening to God, to one another, and to their community. In the process they were preparing the congregation for transformation and renewal. Change is rarely easy, and there were some bumps in the roard, including a season of conflict, broken communication, and the shadow of an uncertain future. But the small congregation and its leadership persisted in listening to God's Word and praying for direction.

In the spring of 2008, Pastor Lenahan invited the council to dwell on Matthew 14 and the feeding of the multitudes as a disciple-forming story that could guide their thinking together. They heard that God is a generous provider, who invites disciples to do impossible things through the power of Jesus. The story challenged them to take a risk and offer a community clothing drive/giveaway in August of 2008. Organizers included a cookout and drew the support of the men of the congregation, who formed a men's group to oversee the execution of the one-day event. With a little local publicity and a lot of organizing, Zion welcomed and served about 150 guests on that initial August Saturday. Men and women from Zion experienced the joy of service and the thrill of getting to know their neighbors. In the process, they saw Akron in a new way-as a community in need of a church that will serve.

The event became a springboard from which Pastor Lenahan shared a vision of a monthly community breakfast and clothing distribution that could be accomplished by repurposing two rooms in the basement of the church building. Not all members were convinced, but more than half of the congregation was on board, and as a result Peter's Porch was launched that fall.

Five years later, Peter's Porch serves a monthly breakfast to over 300 neighbors. They distribute clothing, personal hygiene items, and laundry detergent and serve, on average, 180 households every month. Each registered household receives a bag of groceries. In 2013, this ministry served close to 500 registered households. Five families have become baptized members of Zion through the ministry of Peter's Porch. Others have joined to be part of the mission.

They partner with other congregations; in 2012, Faith United Lutheran in Denver launched a second Peter's Porch. In 2014, Lititz Mennonite Church will launch the third. "The common thread," says Lenahan, "is not only in the material giving, but in the Christ-centered, grace-filled compassion the servant churches demonstrate."

In 2012, Zion received an ELCA Domestic Hunger Grant and a Thrivent Economic Outreach Sustainability Grant. They partner with Central PA Food Bank, Lancaster County Council of Churches, and other local businesses to provide enough food for their neighbors. Peter's Porch is a place where the hungry are fed; a place where the church serves the poor; and a place where the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit is demonstrated and experienced.

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Note: Our Synod's World Hunger Committee recently conducted a survey of congregations to determine what kinds of hunger ministries congregations are engaged in and/or supporting. Responses were received from 77 congregations, and the variety and breadth of ministries is truly amazing. Look for more ministry highlights in the remaining weeks of Advent and throughout 2014. If your congregation is engaged in a ministry and you didn't yet respond to the survey, please share information with us. Contact either Cheryl Burns at cherylsburns@gmail.com or Pastor Sharron Blezard at sblezard@lss-elca.org.