Five Loaves, Two Fish
February 5, 2020
The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” – Numbers 11:4-6
Our mission at Cafe Central is this:
*To provide a safe, clean, uplifting environment for guests in need of food and fellowship
*To provide healthy, nutritious and tasty meals to all who come through our doors
*To nourish the souls as well as the bodies
When the Isrealites spent 40 years in the wilderness, God provided them manna. Manna came down when the dew settled on the camp at night. It was crushed and cooked in a pot or made into cakes. This was ALL they ate for 40 years. Manna was God’s way of having the Isrealites see past their physical needs and fully rely on Him. His way of nourishing their bodies and souls. To teach them that “man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:3) God provides the “manna” for Cafe Central as well.
Our chef, Jim Humphries is entrusted with God’s provisions. He works diligently to serve our patrons… bodies and souls. Cooking for 250-300 people (approximately 400-600 plates) on a weekly basis, is quite an undertaking. Jim humbly and thoughtfully creates a menu using these “provisions”. He plans, orders, preps and cooks. The challenge for the Isrealites was figuring out a different way of making the same thing. The challenge for Jim, is taking a little bit of everything and making it into something. As the steward of these provisions, he is also tasked with keeping the cost of each plate around $2.50.
Something I’ve heard Jim say many times is, “five loaves, two fish”. It’s a reference to the story in Matthew 14 when Jesus tells the disciples to feed all the people, yet all they have are five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus takes the bread and fish, gives thanks, serves everyone, and has some left over. I think Jim quoting this verse is his way of trusting in the unseen and knowing God is true to these provision promises. That his job, is to use his talents, give thanks and serve. He does this well. The funny part about this being his saying, is that fried fish is one of the patrons favorite lunches he serves. Our patrons “remember the fish they ate at no cost” and it’s definitely more than 2 fish… with no left overs!
Let us not “lose our appetite” for the manna. Let us use our talents, give thanks and serve well!
Until we “read” again …God Bless!
You can go to our “GIVE” link anytime: https://cafecentralmilledgeville.org/give/
Stephannie Shelton
Stephannie and her husband Doug have been volunteering at Cafe Central for 6 years. They moved from Colorado to Milledgeville Georgia in 2015. That year during Sunday service, the announcement that Cafe Central needed extra help for their Thanksgiving service, brought them for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. They have now served weekly since January 2016. Doug is the volunteer coordinator and member of the Cafe Central Board. Stephannie just likes to talk to, and about, the “family” Cafe Central has become.