MEET THE MINISTRY | BRISTOL FOOD PANTRY & RETA
BRISTOL COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY
“We get the chance to be in the gaps for people. We have seen where food gives us a chance to listen to people who need a chance to talk and unload from some of life’s hurts and heavy things. That happens quite often as we listen; it’s not unusual for people to cry and release pressures of life as we listen and pray.”
– Chris Garner, Executive Director, Bristol Community Food Pantry
Adopting this role in 2019 enabled Chris to step right into the lives of others, where he has witnessed firsthand the overlap between meeting physical and spiritual needs. If you’ve volunteered at Bristol Community Food Pantry before, you may have been surprised that your main role in helping families was to “listen”, even above providing logistical help. It’s all because this ministry’s passion for meeting relevant physical needs is built upon the desire to meet spiritual ones. Every facet of the experience at Bristol Food Pantry has been intentionally designed to demonstrate the love of Christ, providing nourishment to both the human body and soul.
A bag of groceries may last for a week, but a heart that has been touched is impacted eternally.
This kind of ministry functions on lots of moving pieces, so when volunteers show up with a posture of willingness to do whatever is needed, from handling small to large items, it especially blesses Chris and his team. “Not everything is glamorous and visibly impactful, but it is all part of the wheels that help the ministry run well,” Chris shared.
The Bristol Food Pantry is funded mainly by personal donors. In fact, community food drives hosted by organizations and churches like FBC help to keep shelves stocked, especially during busy times of the year. Chris and his team are also looking for people to help them expand into home delivery, pre-packing, and helping with shopping and food pick up at local stores.
For Chris, it all comes back to this: “When you tangibly see that what you do impacts a life in that moment, it helps you understand how critical it is that we are available to people – how God designed for each of us to be serving, living, and seeing the people around us.”
RETA
Food isn’t the only drive we’re hosting during this year’s Season of Generosity! Those of you who are kids at heart have our full permission to revisit the toy aisle and bless another local ministry we’re partnering with: Reason Enough To Act (RETA).
RETA is located downtown Elkhart and comes alongside women and men in our community who are facing unplanned pregnancy or navigating parenting for the first time. Their annual Christmas Toy Drive allows client families to select and provide age-specific gifts for their kids. It’s an intentional extension of the relationship RETA has been building with each of these families. Joni Bradberry, who has served as RETA’s Client Services Manager for the last 15 years, shared with us her desire to see families blessed physically and spiritually this Christmas season. She would love for our FBC Family to partner in prayer that, “clients would have open hearts and minds to hear the message of Jesus through our Christmas packet and programming.”
Much like the Bristol Food Pantry, RETA’s toy drive brings physical blessing built upon spiritual care. “Several moms going through hard times have appreciated a listening ear and the prayer support we offer,” Joni remarked.
God is undeniably at work in and through RETA. One of our favorite things that Joni shared was the consensus of typical comments or reactions from first-time volunteers that serve at RETA: they feel the presence of Jesus as they serve. It’s easy to see why. After all, the heart of Christ spilled over with love for the little ones He encountered in His earthly ministry:
Mark 10:13-16 (New Living Translation)
“One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so He could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering Him. When Jesus saw what was happening, He was angry with his disciples. He said to them, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.’ Then He took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.”
The desire of Christ was for parents to engage Him with their children. Helping individuals and families to do this is deeply planted at the heart of RETA’s ministry, and the difficult moments of pregnancy and parenting become a ready atmosphere for encounters with Him.