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Where Love Meets Service
January 29, 2025

Dear Friends,
“I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you offered me something to drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked, you clothed me, sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison and you visited me”.  - See Matthew 25: 31-ff)

“I have a couple of announcements this morning,” the Sr. Warden at St. John’s Parish, New London, said this past Sunday morning. “First, we have received a note from Feeding America letting us know that in 2024 they sent us just shy of 47,000 pounds of food. This food, plus donations from our own parish and others, allowed us, through our pantry, to give the equivalent of 39,000 meals in the past year.” 

The 25 people present at worship responded with applause, smiles, and nodding heads. During the fellowship, many shared how, despite being small, St. John’s feels like it has a significant presence and a vital role in New London.

After taking my leave, I took a little drive in New London. Having visited the church and their priest, Portia Corbin, this past summer, I had an idea of where I was going. If you drive to the heart of the city's historic side, at 209 South Pearl Street, you’ll find a modest storefront with the words Christian Food Pantry on the front window. Inside are rows of shelves, freezers, and refrigerators filled with food. Hundreds of people receive food from this pantry every week. A few blocks away, the St. John’s Thrift Store (labeled “Segunda” in the window) at 107 W. North Water Street offers affordable clothing and goods. Proceeds from the store support the pantry, and both are staffed by parishioners and volunteers from the community. 

When I asked, “How is New London doing as a city?” some parishioners talked with me about area businesses and schools and a growing sense of positivity. A few highlighted the Haitian and Latino communities, noting how their presence strengthens the town. Examples and stories of different experiences of connection, acceptance, and appreciation were shared. 

As Christians, our vocation is to seek and love Christ in our neighbor. This is explicit in the Baptismal Covenant and woven into so much of our shared prayers. This is expressed through engaging in service.  Loving Christ in our neighbor also means recognizing, naming, and lifting the sacred humanity of all people, no matter how different they may be from us. It’s about caring for those who are powerless and advocating for them.  Loving Christ has about as many forms as there are people! In this small parish in a small Wisconsin city, I witnessed loving service and acceptance.
As we strive for justice and peace, stand up to coercive and abusive power, and advocate for those with no voice, we also lift and celebrate the many ways God’s people show love and serve. This has always been the case. As we work and pray for justice and peace, may we find strength and encouragement in the countless examples of Christ-like love and service that surround us.
Written by Cannon Scott Leannah after his annual visit to St. John's