Feeding the hungry with food and the Word
CAROL STREAM, IL (Sept. 15, 2016) - For some, spiritual food is a difficult concept to comprehend. Not so for Wally Vehrs of Our Savior Lutheran Church, 1244 W. Army Trail Road in Carol Stream.
"I felt compelled to fill the walls with inspirational Scripture verses," said Vehrs. Senior Pastor Andrew Koschmann provided Vehrs with guidance for painting verses on the walls of the gym.
"It's a multi-functional space," said Koschmann. "It's used for Sunday morning Bible Study, for Vacation Bible School, Boy Scout meetings, a community-organized high school basketball league, and our annual garage sale. Every Wednesday, it's the resting place for PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) guests."
Fifty to 70 DuPage residents find food and shelter at the church every Wednesday night. Thanks to Vehrs and a crew of artistic volunteers, the PADS guests now find themselves encircled in Scripture.
"I love it," said one PADS guest. "The whole atmosphere is very bright and welcoming."
In addition to serving as a weekly PADS location, the church raises and harvests one ton of vegetables each summer for donation to both the Neighborhood Food Pantries http://www.neighborhoodfp.org/ (formerly Feeding NW DuPage; Northwest DuPage Walk-in Ministry) and the Neighborhood Food Pantry at Resurrection Catholic Church in Wayne.
"For the past five years, we've been raising fresh produce," said chairperson Ray Peterson. "To help us maintain the garden throughout the spring and summer, we hire a PADS guest."
"Our congregation is dedicated to feeding the hungry and homeless," said Koschmann. "We know we're making a difference. Our efforts go full circle. We're feeding the hungry with both fresh produce and the Word of God."
For more information, contact AKoschmann@OurSavior.com
Our Savior Lutheran Church of Carol Stream belongs to the St. Louis-headquartered Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). The denomination has more than 2.3 million members in more than 6,100 congregations nationwide. LCMS operates the largest Protestant parochial school system in America.