There has been a lot going on here since the last newsletter edition in May. Two of the most notable items are plans for the 20th anniversary of the Sonshine Soup Kitchen ministry and staff changes.

The Board has struggled in the past about giving undue recognition to an organization that exists because of human misfortune. To say we are celebrating 20 years of serving meals to struggling people just doesn’t seem like the right thing to be celebrating. In a different light, if you look at it as celebrating 20 years of outstanding support by the community to a ministry of compassion, it looks different. We want to celebrate you! You who volunteer, you who give services, you who organize fundraisers and food drives, you who write checks, you who take the time to donate. 20 years of faithful support so that people in need are cared for—now that is something worthy of celebration! Please mark your calendars and come to our open house. There are so many supporters out there whom I have never met. And few of you have met the soup kitchen board. The entire staff and board will be there as well as the people who operate the First Baptist Church Community Food Pantry, as this is where we had our start. I have been on staff for fourteen of these 20 years and have absolutely no regrets in taking the job as director and sticking with it. I like to jokingly tell people that I have been here since before I had grey hair and needed reading glasses. I was looking for a part-time job to help with the education of my children that would still allow me to manage my household as I believe I was called to do. I was happy to take the office position at 12 hours per week and never aspired to more than that. But after two years, the founding director was moving on and I didn’t get out of the way fast enough to avoid the director’s job landing on me. After much soul searching, I took the job even though it was a huge stretch for me. I promised God that I would take it if He would give me what I needed to do the work. He has always faithfully done that. I still love what I do but for several years have yearned to do it, well, a little less. Some time ago, I started thinking about how I could share my job. I would come up with a plan, then things would get busy and I would lay it all aside.

This happened a few times, and then I came to realize that the biggest part of giving up some of my responsibilities was not restructuring the staff of tasks but finding the right person to join me in managing the ministry.

Well, through a long string of seemingly unrelated happenings, not coincidental in the least, a person emerged from the fog and said, “Here I am!” No kidding, it almost happened just like that, and her name is Christine Fudala. Really, no kidding. The same Christine who served for years as a volunteer with the St. Jude’s Church group. The same Christine who took the job of Office Assistant four years ago and reluctantly left to take a full-time job. I don’t know how all of this fits or will work, but I know it feels right. Christine started as Program Director on July 15, and I have a new lease on life. I am sure that I am good for at least another 14 years, that is if it is God’s plan for my life and the leadership of the Sonshine Soup Kitchen. Only He knows, and I am very glad to leave it all in His hands.