In a recent article here on the Café we asked “Is there a lesson for the church in the movement towards tiny houses and food trucks?” Suggesting that they represented a cultural movement underway in favor of things that are adaptable, mobile, minimal and community focused.
Ministry Matters yesterday had a post on food trucks being re-purposed to serve poor and marginalized people, saying;
Faith-based food trucks are building momentum across the country. In St. Paul, Minn., Lutheran pastor Margaret Kelly’s church is actually a food truck, providing free food and prayers to homeless and impoverished members of the community.
The article also highlights food truck ministries in Texas, especially that led by Allen Lutes in Fort Worth. The ministry he started and leads is called the Five & Two Food Truck; named after the biblical story of five loaves and two fishes feeding the multitudes.
Right now, the ministry is funded completely through the church and a few small grants. In August, the food truck will begin selling food to the public, but the cost will be based on what customers can pay instead of a set rate. North Texans can look forward to pulled-pork tacos and Cuban sandwiches with homemade pickles, two of Lutes’ signature dishes; 10 years as a chef has given him plenty of time to perfect some street-food recipes.
His experience in the kitchen has also taught him that food really is life.
“Breaking bread is one of the most intimate things you can do with somebody,” said Lutes. “We don’t just go hand out food. We sit down and eat, form relationships and listen to stories; we’re a representative of the church.”
“Food can be the instrument that connects people with God,” said Lutes. “Why wait for people to come to us when we can go to them?”
image: Arlington Heights United Methodist Church’s Five and Two Food Truck served breakfast tacos to Komen Race for the Cure participants in April 2015, co-sponsored by Kroger. Photo courtesy of Arlington Heights UMC