Thyme for Grace Kitchen Ministry began as an idea for cooking circle, whereby six women of all ages and interests would gather at each other’s home to enjoy an evening of fellowship while preparing a meal for the group, with one for the church freezer. This idea took on greater aspirations after an article appeared regarding the kitchen ministry program at Gloria Dei Lutheran in South Dakota, where they prepared and packaged meals for their church freezer every few months. This sparked an interest and after many conversations throughout 2009 and 2010 on how this program could benefit Our Savior’s congregation, the first cooking session occurred in November of 2010.

At the first session, a total of eleven volunteers prepared and packaged twenty-one meal packages, which contained of turkey chili, cornbread and cookies for four people. The meals were distributed by pastors, care ministry volunteers and others throughout the months of November, December and January. In February, 2011 it was time to gather again for cooking meals.

On February 7, 2011, the volunteers for both the morning (9) and evening sessions (4) were abundant, as word had spread of this new ministry. The kitchen was a glow with the warmth of conversation, both women and men working together to create and package a Chicken and Rice Casserole (15 packages) and a Sloppy Joe Casserole (19 packages), for a total of thirty-four packages, with four servings each. In addition to the entrée’ each package contained dinner rolls and Snickerdoodle cookies.

In early July, the freezer contained only two packages of the meals prepared in February; this was a mixed blessing, as you wish the meals were shared for happy occasions versus sad. However, it is a blessing to have meals available when needed to provide ‘comfort’ to those in our community.

On July 20, 2011, a team of core kitchen volunteers gathered to prepare three different entrée’s for the freezer. The meal package contains: Chicken Divan with Frozen Fruit Slush (31), Miniature Meatloaf, with mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, dinner rolls and brownie bites (18) and an Italian Chicken Pasta Salad with Frozen Fruit Slush (12). The result was a total of sixty-one meal packages, each serving four per package.

The meals are available to all members of the congregation to share with individuals or families that are in need of a little ‘comfort’ when going through times of difficulty or transition. Please include a prayer card and fill out the inventory sheet (on side of freezer), when selecting a meal from the freezer. Remember, there are many reasons for sharing a meal with someone, sometimes they just need a friend to visit.

How do I volunteer for Thyme for Grace Kitchen Ministry?

Everyone is welcome! Watch for information in the Sunday Bulletins, Yellow Pages or E-mail Blasts announcing upcoming cooking sessions. If you find this project sparks a passion to share your ‘gifts’ in an environment of Grace with the intention of nourishment, please contact Nancy Healey at nancy_a_healey@msn.com for additional information.