Life Lessons From the Church Kitchen

As an adult, with a family of my own and a home across the country, I look back on life and the people in it that have shaped me into the woman I am today. I grew up in a loving home. I had two wonderful church families as a child and young person. It was through forced labor in the church kitchen that I met some of the most wonderful and inspiring people and learned some life lessons.

1. Through your service will be blessed and be a blessing to the people you are serving.
   My mom made me work in the church kitchen as kid and teen. She was always working in there, so by default I had to help. As an adult I find myself in the church kitchen a lot and I love it. I find that serving and working in the kitchen is as much a blessing for me as it is for the people I am helping feed. I don’t need the glory you get from singing or preaching. Doing dishes, taking out trash, and being unseen is fine with me. It is a job that needs to be done and it is a blessing to the people that don’t have to do it. I have been blessed a thousand times over through the relationships I made while I worked.
2. It’s okay to make a mistake or a mess… and sometimes say a bad word or two.

My Great-Aunt Frances worked with my mom in the kitchen. One Sunday morning while the rest of us sat in church they were in the kitchen preparing for a meal. The kitchen was just down the hall. My Aunt Frances dropped an entire big container of silverware; it crashed and clanked and clattered to the floor and Aunt Frances responded by loudly saying… “Oh Shit.”

3. Be careful who you let cut dessert.

We had one older lady that always wanted to cut desserts. My mom was in charge of the kitchen for years and everyone always told her “Don’t let Lois cut desserts. No matter how hard Mom tried to give her other jobs every time she turned around Lois was cutting cakes. When she cut cakes it went like this… Cut, plate, lick her fingers, lick the knife, cut, plate, lick her fingers, lick the knife…. And so on and so forth until all the desserts were cut.

4. Work hard even when you don’t feel like it.

When you ask for volunteers at church you end up with all kinds of people. Some of those people work despite with chronic illnesses, knee problems, and depression. The work is not always fun; there is rarely any glory from working in the kitchen, but the people that volunteer do it because they love their Lord. They work hard, no matter how tired they are and they find joy in the work and the fellowship. There is always something you can do no matter what your health is like. I know working brings me joy even though I am often exhausted by the time I am done.

5. Care about others.

The people I met in the church kitchen care about others. They love people. They love the fellowship. When we first joined our church the first thing I volunteered for was helping in the kitchen during Vacation Bible School. At the time, I was struggling with life. My health was a mess, we had a lot of changes at home recently. The ladies, and men, in that kitchen loved me. They hardly knew me at that point, but they loved me. They listened and gave me advice and support and encouragement that God would see us through. That fellowship and love and caring spirit and the prayers of those people have seen us through. I have been blessed to have people like that my whole life.

6. Old people are awesome. Listen to them.

Most people my age see elderly people as boring and unimportant. As a kid our church was mainly elderly people. I worked with them in the kitchen, spoke to them at church. I learned that they are a lot of fun. They are funny and loving. They have so many experiences that are truly amazing. I grew up with more extra sets of grandparents that you can imagine. I thank God for that often. As I have grown up some of these people have passed on, but I remember them with a smile. I remember the peace and the joy and the passion they lived life with. Spend time with the elderly people in your life. Sit down and listen to them. The things you can learn about them are so very valuable.

7. They have some great recipes. Don't be afraid to ask for them.

All my life I thought I hated dressing or stuffing or whatever you want to call it. I never ate it at Thanksgiving or I got the tiniest spoonful possible to be polite.... Until I tried Janice Powell’s dressing. It is a cornbread dressing and it is wonderful and I by wonderful I mean absolutely delicious. It is the only dressing I eat. I still think others are gross. Don’t get me wrong, there are some weird things you will find at pot luck dinners, but there are some glorious dishes. Ask people for their recipes. You won’t regret it and you might get some good stories that go with the recipe.

8. Smile, laugh, and find joy everywhere.
   Some of my favorite people from the church kitchen are gone now. God has called them home. They are people who found joy in the hardest times of life. They were able to laugh at their mistakes. They had such a sense of joy and hope in them that was visible even in the worst of times. Their happiness was contagious. I am by nature a pessimist. Being joyful is very hard for me, but these women have taught me to look for the good things in life to laugh when times are hard. Thank you, Joyce Markwood, for being a joyful, fun, and wonderful person. I appreciate the joy and hope you shared in all our interactions.

Thank you to all of the men and women in church kitchens everywhere. You are awesome. You are a blessing to so many.

Thank you, Mom, for forcing me into service and teaching me to love it. I apologize for fighting the things you tried to teach me all those years ago.

My Mom and I