Our new church sign has a wonderful story that goes with it! The slate that now beautifully bears the name of our church and the United Methodist emblem was nothing more than a throw-away piece of slate, dumped in a landfill and forgotten--until it was reclaimed and redeemed for the sake of Christ.

Last fall at a United Methodist Men's meeting it was decided to put up a new church sign. Not long after that Henry Carlson saw a large piece of slate while walking on his brother's land in Monson. They retrieved it and took it to a stone mill. When the miller found out that it was to be a church sign, he said that he was a Roman Catholic and he would love to polish and square up the slate for nothing. His generosity continued when he offered to sell the two 7-foot granite posts for his cost, and to cut the grooves for the sign at no charge.

This story doesn't end there. The Buzzell family donated the finely sifted gravel needed to pack around the posts, delivering it at 9:00 on a Friday night. The gravel was in thanks for caring for Mrs. Buzzell when she was sick. On a cold, snowy Saturday morning, a group of our men gave their time, talents and energy to put the sign in place. It is a symbol of God's transforming Love--from something discarded to something beautiful.

That power was boldly, yet humbly, proclaimed for twelve days by the handmade sign that simply stated "EAT FREE". Our church was transformed into a hot meals kitchen where people were invited to feed their bellies, warm their bodies, and refresh their souls. There was an incredible presence of God's Love flowing in and out of our church--a crisis transformed by the power of God's Love.

There is no exact count of the number of meals served, but estimates show 2000-2400. For 10 to 12 hours a day during those 12 days, people of all ages gathered to offer themselves for the sake of Christ, to feed his sheep. I have come to think of this time as the "feeding of the 2000". "EAT FREE"...what a wonderful way to proclaim the Love of Christ. It's the best sermon I've heard in a long time!

Let us etch the meaning of these two signs into our minds, hearts, and memories. As we move into the future let them guide our way as we strive...to be a Christian community that invites all people to participate in God's Love through Nurture, Outreach, and Witness.