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Outreach and Evangelism
A balanced breakfast on Sunday morning


Stories about the Cathedral
May 2009

by Herb Gunn

[Detroit: May 31, 2009] The Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit maintains a breakfast ministry that draws up to 200 people into worship every Sunday morning. Former senior warden Ray Chaney noted that the program, which requires the participants attend the 8:15 worship service before the meal, is, nonetheless, more outreach than evangelism.

“We are providing for people who aren’t able to get a good meal on their own,” said Chaney, who now oversees the program. “The bus fare is too high for many, a few ride bicycles, but most of them walk. They live in the area.”

Between 40-50 stay on for Bible Study following breakfast, explained Cedric Henry, who was the volunteer coordinator of the breakfast ministry for the past two years until recently. He said about 120 men used to attend early in the month—and that number generally grew to 175 by the fourth Sunday of the month. Recently, he said, due to the economy and the weather, the Cathedral often sees 200 per week now.
“You have to get there early to get a seat,” Henry said.

The neighborhood Avalon Bakery provides the bread and Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan is the supplier of most of the other food products. One Cathedral family provides the meal one Sunday a month.

The breakfast ministry has felt the impact of the economic downturn and some financial cutbacks at the Cathedral, as well. The modest stipendiary support the Cathedral budgeted for the breakfast ministry was recently cut from the church budget, so the ministry survives totally on volunteers.

Maureen Maniece and John Seltzer have largely keep the kettle on the stove over the past year.

“If it wasn’t for those two, we would not exist. They are there on time every Sunday morning,” Chaney said. “We need the help of our parishioners to succeed. If we had four dependable people every Sunday, we would be in good shape.”

 “We need more volunteers,” agreed Henry. “It is hard for three people to keep the program running.”

“It’s a hook to get men who are on the street into the church,” Henry added. He said many people who have been drawn into the church doors are not baptized, and that’s an area where outreach moves toward evangelism. “Can you imagine Jesus walking from Nazareth to Jerusalem and not baptizing people along the way?”


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