Quietly doing Christ's bidding, the members of First Congregational United Church of Christ have served up tens of thousands of warm dinners to people who walk off the street into the bright church basement one night each week.
The congregation started a food and fellowship ministry 15 years ago as an outreach to single men living at the former Iowa Inn. It was named Cafe for "Christians Activated to Feed." Two dozen men showed up at those first weekly meals. Now about 100 men, women and children partake of the church's weekly dinners.
"When we feed Christ's children, the church is doing what Jesus would have us do," explained the Rev. Nancy Bickel, co-pastor of First Congregational and a Cafe coordinator.
The congregation funds and prepares all the food for Cafe 46 weeks each year, even sharing summer garden bounty. Five dinners are supplied annually by the St. Raphael Cathedral congregation and Cafe is closed on Thanksgiving when a free community-wide meal is offered.
But other churches, colleges, youth groups and businesses
By the numbers |
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9 Size of the steering committee that coordinates Café 25 Number of men at first meals 5:30 p.m. every Thursday, except Thanksgiving, free meals are served 1994 When the first free community meals were served 90-130 Average number of men, women and children now served 60,000 Number of meals served in 15 years |
"One of the wonderful things about Cafe is that it fosters ecumenical and community cooperation to ensure that no one goes hungry in the city of Dubuque," Bickel said.
A steering committee of church members coordinates Cafe and works at the weekly meals.
"It's an important way for me to share my faith," said Rosemary Maresh, who has been on the committee for 12 years. "We get to know everybody by name and I miss them when they don't come."
While some Cafe guests have no spiritual home and others come from various faith backgrounds, none are pressured to convert to or join any church.
"Rather, the goal is to demonstrate the love of Jesus and the good news of the Gospel in word and action," Bickel said.
Tonight, scores of volunteers will gather at the church to celebrate the first 15 years of Cafe .
