Our lunch ministry volunteers before service on a recent Thursday morning.
At Christ & St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, we understand that God wants to include, welcome, and connect people across differences, distances, and divisions.
This theological grounding of love is not just something we preach from the pulpit; it is something we practice in our church basement.
Our Lunch Ministry is at the beating heart of that commitment. As our new mini documentary about the program reveals, the ministry is far more than just a place to get a free meal. It is a spiritual ecosystem where we are all children of God, whether we serve food or eat it, where dignity is served on every plate, and where deep encounters with the Holy Spirit happen.s that restrict human flourishing. How exactly that work plays out will be the joyful, challenging labor of the weeks and years ahead. But as we step out of this Lenten season and toward the hope of Easter, we do so with a renewed, unshakeable commitment: We will make no peace with oppression.
Redefining the concept of a “soup kitchen”
The first thing you will notice upon entering the CSL Lunch Ministry is the smell of a bustling, restaurant-quality kitchen.
“We hate the word ‘soup kitchen’ or the idea of ‘soup kitchen’ because we want to give them a variety of options,” explains volunteer chef, and parishioner Anne Peters. “A dining experience. Our guests will tell you that of all the churches in the area that serve meals, they think that we would win in a blind taste test, because we work so hard to provide great quality food and variety.”
This commitment to quality is intentional. Ed Szeligowski, the lead coordinator of the program, notes that the menu changes every week, featuring everything from Swedish meatballs to shepherd’s pie to taco soup. Volunteer Georgia Kenison, who brings over 35 years of experience in the food industry, applies her professional chef skills to elevate the meals as part of a team of six lead chefs.
The culinary care goes even deeper than the main courses. Volunteer Dixcy Kilduff recently began a tradition of baking personalized birthday cakes for the guests. The goal is deeply personal. “For me, it’s just a way to make them feel special,” Dixcy says. “That’s the point for me and the other volunteers is to make people feel special and as individuals they’re not just a group of people seeking charity.”
In a world that often ignores or stigmatizes unhoused individuals, offering a beautifully prepared meal and a personalized birthday cake is an act of restoration. It is our way of telling our guests that they are worthy of joy, celebration, and the finest things we have to offer.
The call to walk the talk
The volunteers in the CSL Lunch Ministry choose to walk the talk of their faith by stepping into service. For volunteer Natalie Henry, the call came directly from the pulpit. “I have been listening to Fr. Jared (Grant) and Fr. Noah (Van Niel),” she said. “They’ve been talking about seeing the face of God in my fellow man. So, you take a step back and go, what can I do? I can do small. I can work in my community. I want to walk my talk.”
For others, the call came during life transitions. Ed joined the ministry upon retiring, making the declaration that “God owns me now.” For Dixcy, it was a lifeline during a period of personal darkness after her children had left home for college. Sitting in the back of the church, she heard Father Noah urge the congregation to “do a little more.”
Volunteer chef Ken Reynolds frames it through a purely biblical lens. “I feel like everyone needs to eat, and I feel like kind of sharing of yourself is by feeding people,” Ken explains. “I know Jesus spent his whole ministry multiplying food and wine and feeding those who had nothing; so, I figured that’s the best place to start”.
Breaking bread, breaking barriers
Ed refers to the relational work of lunch ministry as being “right at the point of the spear” of Christian mission.
“I also often say it’s all about feeding our guests with more than just food because we also try to take part of their lives,” Ed said. He recounted the story of a woman named Sharon who lived in a tent on the street and was highly guarded due to a history of abuse. Over months of consistent care and presence, Ed and other volunteers finally broke through, becoming very close friends with her before she sadly passed away. But when she did the church gave her the dignity of a memorial service right near her home on the corner of Stockley Gardens, as a way to honor her as our neighbor and fellow child of God.
This relationship-building is paramount. Volunteer Vickie Easley points out that many guests spend their time “being invisible, trying not to draw attention to themselves so that somebody will not chase them off.” The Lunch Ministry actively works to reverse this erasure. We want them to feel like people, to feel welcome, and to know their worth.
Through this consistent, weekly communion, the barrier between the “helper” and the “helped” collapses. Vickie has even seen this empowerment come full circle, watching guests transition out of homelessness to find housing, only to return to the church basement, this time as volunteers themselves.
The treasure at the bottom of the church
The most profound realization of the CSL Lunch Ministry is that the volunteers are not the only ones doing the ministering. Dixcy recalls a moment of community resilience among the guests involving a man named Cliff, who had a broken bicycle. When Dixcy asked if other guests might know how to fix it, a guest named Lee offered his tools. Another guest named Robert unexpectedly chimed in to suggest contacting Bike Norfolk. Ultimately, Bike Norfolk was able to help the group fix the bike.
“The magic there in that moment, was there were at least three people at that table working together to try to find a solution for Cliff’s problem, and to have a purpose and to be able, to be capable is a gift,” Dixcy said. Watching the guests pool their knowledge to uplift one another, she says, “I felt God smiling.”
For Dixcy, the basement has become a sacred space. She has “felt God’s presence in a way that I didn’t expect to feel,” doing the work.She reflects on the concept of “Ephphatha,” or openness to God. “If you are quiet and you feel, just down in the depths of the basement, you feel God, the Holy Spirit, right there,” she said. “These are people, a treasure to find at the very bottom of the Church”.
Vickie echoes this sentiment, noting how interacting with the guests fundamentally shifts her own perspective. “Just knowing there really is no difference between who’s serving and who’s eating. We’re all the children of God,”she said.
Vickie is continually humbled by the spiritual strength of the people she serves. “Every week I am struck by how deep their faith is,” Vickie said. “Because where we have jobs and houses and cars, and family and support and stuff, they depend on God. They really depend on God. And when they talk to you, you get that sense. And so, I thank them today for bringing God into the room with us, because they do so every week”.
Come, See, Go, Be
The CSL Lunch Ministry is a testament to the fact that God is always continually calling us to deeper faith and bigger love. It teaches us that while the problems of systemic poverty and homelessness are vast, the power of a single moment of connection is immeasurable. As Dixcy wisely puts it, “Wish I could solve the problem, but all I have is a minute.”
In that minute, we can show someone they are seen, cared for, and unconditionally loved. We can replace isolation with a warm meal, a slice of birthday cake, and a conversation between friends.
Our spiritual rhythm at Christ & St. Luke’s is simple: Come, See, Go, Be. We invite you to come and see the treasure we have found in our church. We invite you to go out and be a part of this community, reflecting God’s presence in your life in the world.
If you’d like to participate in the Lunch Ministry, contact Ed Szeligowski at ten.xoc@relezs
