When Shalom Pastor F. James Clark made the call, the King’s Men answered.
On Friday, the King’s Men, an intergenerational group of 400 black men from Shalom Church (City of Peace), gathered at the church’s Lindbergh campus for an evening of fellowship and stewardship. Their plan – sort and hand out 2,000 Thanksgiving food baskets for the needy.
“Rev. Dr. F. James Clark had a vision for the men of the church to come together and reach out to the community,” said Steve Powell, facilitator of the King’s Men.
The food baskets were filled with everything needed to make a hearty Thanksgiving dinner, including turkey, stuffing, yams, macaroni and cheese, vegetables, cornbread and cake mix. Within one hour, the group managed to bag about 450 dinners. Unfortunately, they ran out of bags before food. But it’s the thought that counts, said 14-year-old Cletus Hatten.
“It’s a good thing we’re doing,” he said. “We want people to know that there’s somebody else out there thinking about them.”
The baskets were handed out on Saturday morning and Monday afternoon at the church’s Lindbergh and Berkley campuses. Some were picked up, but many of them were delivered.
“We want to try to break down some of the stereotypical walls of men in the church and bridge the gap between church, family and community,” Powell said. “It’s really a blessing to see men of African descent come together.”
The King’s Men was formed when Clark gave the clarion call for men at Shalom Church to come together to fellowship at an organizational breakfast meeting in late October. More than 400 men came forward with a commitment to stewardship.
“When I opened the doors, I saw a sea of men,” Powell said. “It was an awesome experience.”
Each man was responsible for buying, sorting, and distributing food to families they knew were experiencing hardship. Each man had to hand-select three to five families. They bought about $10,000 in food.
Although the church has done similar events in the past, Powell said this was the first large-scale event headed by only men. This is just one of many community-wide efforts the King’s Men is planning to do.
Ben Broadnax, one of the King’s Men, said, “This is not just a Thanksgiving task, it’s an ongoing endeavor. We’re trying to extend ourselves from the church out to the community.”
For more information, contact Yvonne Samuel, pastoral consultant, Shalom Church (City of Peace), 5491 North Highway 67, Florissant, MO 63034; or call 314-406-2761. Shalom Church holds service every Sunday at 7:30 and 10 a.m. at its Lindbergh campus, 5491 N. Highway 67; and 12 p.m. at the Berkley campus, 6136 Garfield.