Nourishing Neighbors

“You don’t want to touch me, I’m dirty,” said the stranger, a drug addict sitting in a dumpster. 

Yet Bobby Espinoza, an elder at the Philathea Seventh-day Adventist Church, reached out his hand. “That’s okay. I don’t mind,” he said.

Through food pantry ministry, the Philathea Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Southwest Region Conference,  is making connections where almost no other outreach will go: Seventeenth Street in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The area is known for drugs, violence and poverty. Yet, as Espinoza did for that stranger, the church reaches out a helping hand to those who need it most.

“It’s an area where only Philathea and one other organization ever consistently goes and meets the needs of individuals who are strung out on drugs,” said Meshack Mauia, former pastor at Philathea.

Church members provide basic necessities every second, third and fourth Sabbath. They provide this outreach at an uncommon time: during the traditional worship hour on Sabbath from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. The church service then takes place in the afternoon, followed by Sabbath School.

“We realize that it’s non-traditional,” said Espinoza. “Some people frown upon it and what we do on Sabbath, but I’m proud to say that Jesus was non-traditional. We are just trying to follow Christ and what He does.”

Philathea’s food pantry ministry all started with sack lunches for impoverished school children. Almost 10 years ago, the church discovered that many children in their neighborhood didn’t eat full meals outside of school lunch. So, Philathea decided to pack sack lunches for students to take home.

This evolved into also giving away food and basic necessities at the church. Funding came from the church budget, and members purchased and prepared all donations on-site. The ministry provided resources and supplies to many community members at that time, but it took an unprecedented event for the food pantry to evolve into what it is today.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many people into lockdown. With indoor meetings discouraged, Philathea needed a new approach to ministry. That’s when outreach replaced the church hour, and Philathea began serving Seventeenth Street by actually going to the streets. They began to pack and load trucks of food to deliver.

“COVID-19 transitioned the church to do things differently,” said Mauia. “In my mind, our motto was, ‘Be the church and then let’s go have church.’”

Now, Philathea serves nearly 200 people at each outing. They are supported by Roadrunner Food Bank in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a non-profit distribution center that aids food banks and similar outreaches across the state.

“The impact—you can’t measure it,” said Mauia. “People are consistently seeing Jesus’ love. No one else in the community will go because it is a dangerous area, but the people are so happy when they see our cars pull up. They are very respectful, and of course, it gives us humility to continue to serve.”

When Espinoza discovered the stranger sitting in a dumpster, it was 105 degrees. “He was just sweating and doing drugs in there,” said Espinoza. “I reached out my hand, and we prayed, and I brought him some food. Yes, it’s beautiful to be in church on Sabbath, but it’s even more beautiful to be outside sharing Jesus’ word.” 

Later, Espinoza met that man again. While not completely recovered, the stranger had gained weight and appeared much healthier, and he remembered his first meeting with Espinoza that day in the dumpster. 

“I would encourage people to use their talents for Christ,” said Espinoza. “We praise God for this opportunity. Hopefully, we can continue to do this until Christ returns.”

By Makala James, Record Writer

‍