This Week's Glimpse
A month-long sabbatical did me good. It gave me space to ponder a question from seminary:
What is God up to in this time and in this place?
I wondered what it might look like as a spiritual practice instead of a ministry exercise. So here we are. Welcometo Field Notes, a place for me to share weekly glimpses of where I think God is creating belonging.
This week's glimpse came from quite an unlikely place: a church library. The library-turned-foodpantry project started because some of my campus ministry students were in need of food. I found out in late May that the KSU food pantry was moved to the Marietta campus and was by appointment only. This made it difficult for the students because getting to the other campus was a bit of a problem. First United decided to do something about it.
I spoke with a few people at the church, telling them about the situation. Overnight, we had what you see in the picture on the left. After a newsletter post, we had what you see in the middle picture. After one Sunday announcement, we had the picture on the right. In the midst of this work, a member of the congregation helped me put up the Little Free Food Pantry donated to us by The Collective. It would appear that I will be clearing another shelf next week!
Noticing what God is up to doesn't always require deep prayer and study. Sometimes, it's just a holy nudge that tells you to grab one more can of soup or a package of ramen. Every item on these shelves is a quite reminder that the students were noticed and thought about. And it's these quiet gestures that creates belonging.
What I'm Wondering
I wonder what other quiet nudges in our lives are actually God creating community, creating belonging…
A Practice for the Week
Where did you notice belonging this week?
Around the Ministry
- We have a new podcast running! Lance and I have wanted to do this for quite some time and finally landed on a sermon prep podcast. It will take a few weeks before we get a natural rhythm of a podcast, but we have episodes out. I highly recommend listening to it at 1.3x.
- My first Sunday at Celebration of Grace Lutheran Church is this Sunday (July 5, 2026). While I am a SAM until ordination, it is absolutely wild to think that I will be presiding at church! I have been waiting for this day since I was 8!
- Our food pantry is in need of cooking supplies! We have food, but the students have no way of cooking said food. If you find you have a spare spoon, pot, pan, or can opener, please let me know! If you are out thrifting and see a stash of cookware, get it!
