When did we see you hungry?

The church is small but a livelier sanctuary would be hard to find in any town as people crowd into the pews. This church punches way above its weight and has an outsized impact in the community. When the COVID 19 pandemic hit in March 2020, the congregation was confused about how to continue to make a difference in the world. So many things were restricted – no thrift store, no worship, no mammoth yard sale – all things the church was known for. But the pastor of the Waquoit Congregational Church on Cape Cod, Rev. Nell Fields, is a force of nature. She will admit that she was confused about how to continue to serve the community, but not for long.

It was not long before she and her church leaders noticed that people in the community were hungry. Elderly folks who relied on meal deliveries felt abandoned. Folks without shelter felt neglected as feeding programs stopped. Families who had relied on school meals to supplement their kid’s nutrition went without when schools closed. Everywhere they looked suddenly people were hungry.

Once they recognized this new need, the Waquoit Congregational Church organized volunteers to take orders for meals. Soon they distributed 30-50  a week. They decided that they would buy the meals they gave away from local restaurants, recently shuttered and desperate for business. The church kept some of these restaurants afloat, by offering needy people delicious gourmet meals. They did it while bringing people in the community together and inspiring everyone with their indomitable spirit of hope.  Under Rev. Nell’s leadership, the church re-invented their mission, and found new purpose in this pandemic.

When we interviewed Pastor Nell Fields of Waquoit Congregational for our new book, The Perpetual Pivot: Ministry in the Pandemic and Beyond, we were really inspired by her words and contagious can-do attitude.  On Sunday February 25th Peggy O’Connor and I will be going to the Waquoit Congregational Church to preach and share a message of hope – hope we found in many churches across this nation that found new mission and purpose in the pandemic. We are looking forward to telling the story of how these faith communities were challenged but remarkably resilient in the pandemic. We’re looking forward to sharing and to learning more from the folks of this remarkable congregation.

Please join us in person or online at this link.  https://waquoitchurch.org/wordpress/?page_id=768