Welcome to Provisions! Please click this link to sign up for information about future episodes and to get the Zoom link for the live virtual Provisions episodes: http://eepurl.com/hXEar5 “Provisions” is a virtual table where we gather to learn about culture, food, ministry, and the things that unite us around the world. It is a chance to meet and speak with people from different backgrounds while also learning about the ways that their culture has influenced things like food, language, and worship. Kristy Engel and Melanie Baggao will invite a friend(s), from one of the many places they have lived or visited, to share with the table. You will hear from them, firsthand, about life in that particular place. I would encourage you to read Table Life, by Rev. Dr. Greg Mamula. “This new book presents a uniquely holistic approach to table fellowship as a spiritual discipline… Table Life is an intentional and interactive process of reflection and action, meals and mission, listening and storytelling, scripture and perspective, communion and neighboring. These disciplines connect the individual with Christ, the local church, their neighborhood, and their community contexts.” You can purchase the book by clicking one of the following links: https://tinyurl.com/bde2uzne or https://www.judsonpress.com/Products/J283/table-life.aspx The goal of this virtual table is to honor each other and the unique ways in which we were each created. There will be obvious differences in speech, dress, and food, but we will also discover what binds us together as one big, happy global family! At each meeting, we will respect and honor each other, through our words and responses. Jesus’ example of being light and life to the world will also be our model. You may not agree with everyone, but we can be respectful to each other and find joy in meeting together. Paul writes in Hebrews, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” We are living in a time when virtual connections have become a reality Join Mel and Kristy at “Provisions” and meet some of the amazing folks they work with around the world. You may even discover a new favorite food and make a friend along the way. Kristy Engel is the Global Consultant for Health with International Ministries, ABC-USA. Her work has taken her to more than 30 countries and she has worked with partners during natural disasters and medical emergencies. She is a pediatric nurse practitioner with a masters certificate in International Nutrition through Tufts University and the United Nations University. She trains churches and partners in ABCD (asset based community development) and uses this model throughout the world. Melanie Baggao is a Global Servant with International Ministries, ABC-USA. She lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon where she teaches English at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary. She is a graduate of Biola University and taught middle school for ten years before moving to the Middle East. She is involved with ministry at INSAAF, a community center for migrant domestic workers in Beirut, and she helps with leading worship at the International Community Church.
