It’s truly a great visit with Pastor Doug Ogden anytime you drop into the Lebanon Lutheran Church in Whitehall. Doug is a very community centered leader of his church and walking the walk is what you see compared to what’s yelled from a pulpit when it comes to his ministry. It’s a leadership that’s kept this church going since the 1800’s and continuing to grow. Decade after decade, this church has added a little piece of some kind of community benefit, and coming up on October 4th, you can be a part of the next expansion.
While it might not be as easy to see poverty in a “rural” setting, it’s there. Food insecurity is real and a growing concern everywhere. When we see and hear about it on the news, it’s generally that shot of people waiting in line at a foodbank in a city or another setting that looks cramped and blighted, but as Doug points out, “in a rural setting, there are trees, but there is also a need for help…” A house out of town doesn’t mean the cupboards are all stocked and loaded up with everything. The White Lake area isn’t exactly “rural” but then again, it’s not quite an urban core either.
Currently, there are some weeks where 150 families have to visit the pantry at the church. Each family is given a box of the full spectrum of food needs along with hygiene supplies and more. It’s a labor of love for the parishioners and as the need has grown so has the need for space. The levels added over the decades have been arranged, rearranged and maxed out to the point that it’s floor to ceiling and after some very strategic and thoughtful saving and fundraising, a new building to house the pantry and Scouting charter that the church holds will be having a ground breaking ceremony on October 4th on the church property. The current space for the pantry has tripled in it’s current space and will triple again when the nex building opens in the Spring of 27. It will also have a covered space to assist with the deliveries in the inclement weather months. Storage, packing and delivery will simplify, the workload will seem lighter and those in need will get more time with moral support and the warmth of being greeted by the church members. Which is really what it’s about. The food is the mechanism to lead by the example taught. To me, that’s ministry.
Our thanks to Doug and his parish for their endless humble and kind approach to tending to those in need. It’s truly an outreach of magnitude and depth and goes so much further when actions are louder than words. Those actions too, followed by the word…allow for the word to have deeper and more lasting effect. To learn more about Lebanon Lutheran Church CLICK HERE to visit their website. Click here to visit their Facebook page.
