Walk in Love

If I had a patron saint, it would have to be St. Francis or Sister Clare.  I am fascinated by their complete giving of self to God and the ministry to the poor and prayer.  The film Brother Sun, Sister Moon is a MUST SEE for everyone in my opinion!  If my family had remained Catholic, I probably would be found cloistered at the abbey in Memphis.....though I would have found it difficult to lead a quiet lifestyle at times.  Anyway, let's not chase rabbits here.  Why am I telling you this?  While looking for the Publix mystery coupon in the newspaper today (why does my world seem to revolve around coupons?), I happened upon an ad for the St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church stating that they were holding a Walk in Love Shoe Collection until April 1st as part of their Lenten outreach.  This seems a perfect ministry for a body of believers named after St. Francis.  Here's a blurb from www.chattanoogan.com dated March 9th:

St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church Ooltewah will hold a Maundy Thursday service on April 1 beginning at 7 p.m. The guest preacher will be Brother Ron Fender.

Brother Ron is a member of the Brotherhood of St. Gregory which is a community of Episcopal men who live under the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Brother Ron washes and provides therapeutic care for the feet of the homeless in Chattanooga.
As part of the service the membership of St. Francis will present Brother Ron with new and slightly used shoes to be delivered to the Chattanooga Community Kitchen to be dispersed as needed to the homeless in Chattanooga.
St. Francis invites everyone to participate in this Walk in Love Ministry. They are looking for donations of new and gently used walking type shoes sizes 8-14 (mainly men’s). Other donations of foot care products and socks are welcomed. There is a collection barrel located in front of the main entrance of the church located at 7555 Ooltewah-Georgetown Road. Cash and check donations are welcomed and will be earmarked to Brother Ron’s foot ministry. Checks should be made out to the Chattanooga Community Kitchen.
The Maundy Thursday service commemorates the last supper of Jesus Christ with the apostles. Immediately following the service will be an agape meal. Agape is New Testament Greek for ‘self giving love” and this meal is a quiet time to remember meals that Christ shared with his disciples and others throughout his life. Everyone is invited to join the service and meal. For more information, call the church office at 238-7708 or visit www.sfaec.org. The service will start at 7 and the meal will follow.


If you live in the Chattanooga area, please consider donating shoes, socks, or other foot care products.