The photo above is courtesy of kendallvanderslice.com
Whether referring to bread, or honey, or meat, throughout the Gospel, God’s use of food is revealed. For many years, Kendall Vanderslice has explored this connection. She is a baker and a writer, as well as a graduate of Duke Divinity School and a member of St. Titus Episcopal Church in Durham, North Carolina. She is also the founder of Edible Theology, a project committed to exploring the role of food in Christian formation, and author of We Will Feast: Rethinking Dinner, Worship, and the Community of God, based on her research of churches that worship primarily around the table.
Through Edible Theology, churches build deeper, in-body community, addressing both physical and spiritual needs in the very manner through which they gather to worship. Kendall freely admits that in the current conditions of the pandemic, this can feel strange, but also at the same time, our shared, ongoing isolation has deepened our collective recognition of just how much we need such community.
Edible Theology has recently offered two new courses. The first, Gathering at the Virtual Table, is a resource for clergy to form community through meals even in a time of social distancing. The second, Worship at the Table is a much more expansive course, which Kendall built on the foundation of in-person clergy workshops that she led pre-Covid. This program walks participants step-by-step through the formation of a meal-based ministry unique to the needs and limitations of each congregation.
To find out more about Edible Theology, visit edibletheology.com.
