Home : The Voice : April 2002  

Faith Can Be Seen, Touched, Heard and
Smelled at First Church in Memphis

by Jane Hines

After they have all been fed, the courtyard that leads into the Sunday afternoon Soup Kitchen at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Memphis shows evidence that 180 people came through here. There is no litter. But the ground outside the door is bare, cleared of grass by the shuffling of feet that have stood in line here every Sunday for 20 years. At 12:30, they line up to get vouchers that will give them a free night at one of the downtown shelters for the homeless. At 2:30, they start filing into the fellowship hall for a free meal in the Soup Kitchen.

The menu is homemade soup, a packet of two sandwiches, fruit and iced tea. It takes twenty volunteers every Sunday to cook and serve the food and clean up. On March 9, I was there, taking pictures and talking to people, thinking about how the ultimate comfort food must be the food you give to hungry people like these. It comforts both the giver and receiver, after all.

But then the scene shifted suddenly when I offered to help the volunteer servers because they were short several people that day. They quickly took me up on the offer and I found myself in a plastic apron, got some plastic gloves and some quick instructions about what to do. Being a part of the action gives an entirely new perspective.

The first request I got from a "customer" was for another glass of water. I realized then how thirsty people must get, living on the street and in shelters.

Then I refilled a couple of soup containers and realized that I should put on the plastic gloves, for reasons of health and hygiene that I had never considered before. This story was becoming very real. Refills were available on the soup and the tea and they were requested often. The clean up began whenever someone finished and went back outside. It takes a lot of moving around quickly to serve the first group and get ready for the next group, almost 200 people.

New to the job though I was, I soon located the big soup pots for refills and the big garbage cans for refuse and the pitchers of water and tea. But then I had to be spoken to sternly by one of the community volunteers that came through the court system when we were setting up for the second group. I was putting the napkins on the left and they wanted them on the right.

Everything had to be placed a certain way so that people would know which food was theirs and which was their neighbor's. That made sense and so I smiled and tried to do it right.

This ministry is incredibly well organized from beginning to end. After 20 years, they should know what they're doing and they do. It's not just the actual serving of the meals that they've got down to a science. It's the whole package that's really impressive.

The pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Memphis, C.V. (Bo) Scarborough, at left, and the associate pastor, Ellen Dame Roberds, don plastic aprons and help in the Sunday afternoon Soup Kitchen. Doing whatever they see that needs to be done, they become servants to the people. They depend on Jamie Evans, coordinator of volunteers, (see photo below) and groups of people from churches and the community who show up every Sunday afternoon to keep this program in operation.

Even the clothes closet, which we visited that afternoon, is organized into different sizes for men, women and children. Many times clothes are needed by the clients of the Soup Kitchen. The newsletter, The Soup Scoop, has this to say about that: "Imagine working construction or searching for a job five days a week with the same pair of pants, shirt, socks, shoes and underwear. You may or may not have an opportunity to wash these clothes during the week." The church also distributes hygiene kits.

The wonderful way the Soup Kitchen and its related functions are organized is most impressive in the use of volunteers. Every Sunday, about twenty volunteers are scheduled for duty and they come from churches all over Memphis and St. Andrew Presbytery. Community groups and other denominations are also involved. Jamie Evans, a young civil engineer and member of First Church with his wife and two young sons, is coordinator of volunteers. He is also present at the Soup Kitchen on three out of four Sundays, and serves on the board of directors.

The Soup Kitchen is not just a ministry of First Presbyterian Church; it is the site for downtown ministry for many other churches as well.

Without the First Church Associate Pastor for Outreach, the project would have to close down. The Rev. Ellen Roberds has been serving in this position since November of 1999, following a 19-year ministry of the project's founder, who saw it grow to serve the community in gratifying and challenging ways. This is not just a Sunday afternoon duty for Ellen; every day she is busy planning, relating to many people and coordinating this significant ministry. Ellen also has the responsibility of being pastor to the Young Adults in the congregation and in the area. The future of this ministry may rest with them.

First Church Pastor Bo Scarborough, formerly Dean of Students at Rhodes College, has attracted a group of dedicated Presbyterians who form the nucleus for this downtown ministry of the Presbyterian Church. On two recent Sundays I have had an opportunity to worship with this group and even had a chance to attend a barbecue supper with the adult Sunday School classes. (Never turn down an invitation to have barbecue in Memphis.) These are people who enjoy each other and find life in the church satisfying and rewarding. In serving others, they find pleasure for themselves.

Not everybody has access to downtown Memphis and not everybody even wants to go there. But the doors are open at First Presbyterian Church, located so far downtown that it is almost on the banks of the Big River. As a mission outpost of the Presbyterian Church, these stalwart members have attracted donations of food, clothing and funds from all around Memphis Presbytery. They are really a ministry of the entire Synod. They could use support from all of us. They need a few thousand dollars to meet their budget for this year. They need warm blankets and clothes to distribute to their homeless friends. Contributions to help in this Christian outreach program may be sent to: The Rev. Ellen Roberds, First Presbyterian Church, 166 Poplar, Memphis, TN 38103.

First Church member Jamie Evans is coordinator of volunteers and serves on the board of directors for the Soup Kitchen.

Volunteer Michael Krause helps to prepare a big pot of soup.

Ellen Roberds, at left, confers with Jamie Evans, at right, as Honour Batey gets ready to serve another table.

Volunteers in the Soup Kitchen from Memphis University School on March 9 are: Xander and Eddie Batey.

Pianist Robbie Hill plays hymns during the meal as Bo Scarborough requests a favorite of his. Donations of musical instruments are needed for a new group developing among the clients. They may be sent to Ellen Roberds at the church.

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