Ecuadorian Meal

"And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts praising God and having favor with all the people, and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:46-47

‍This Sunday we’re having a special cultural meal, including Ecuadorian food prepared by the Luzuriagga family. Jonathan and Heather joined last March when we baptized their baby, Icarus. When I was meeting with them ahead of that, they shared that they both have culinary experience, and would love to share that gift with the congregation in some way. Out of the meeting that day, came this idea: to serve all of us a delicious beef stew and rice, giving us a taste of Ecuador, coming out of his family’s cultural heritage.

Where is Ecuador? It is located in northwestern South America, between Columbia and Peru, bordering the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the Equator, which runs right through it.

I Googled “Ecuadorian beef stew” and it says it is most famously known as seco de carne. It is a rich, slow cooked meat dish featuring a savory, tangy sauce. The beef is fall-apart tender and plated alongside a generous portion of rice. Are you getting hungry yet?

When we were planning this, I was reminded of a church I served that had a “German Dinner” with bratwurst and sauerkraut, potato dumplings, and braised red cabbage. It added a bit of spice for this mostly Norwegian church, and was a great way to celebrate Octoberfest.

That church also had a yearly “lefse bake” fundraiser. Lefse is a soft, traditional Norwegian flatbread that looks like a thick crepe or a flour tortilla, but made from potatoes and flour. I remember walking down into the church basement wearing a black suit and getting white flour all over me! One of the pastors, who was of German descent, tasted the lefse and thought it was quite bland, so he put peanut butter and jelly on his. That was almost sacrilege to the members! Normally you eat it with just butter and white sugar. Or if you want to be radical like me, you can use brown sugar.

During Holy Week this year, we had a very special Seder meal by HolyCross/Tikvah Israel, helping teach us how many Jewish people remember the story of the Passover, and relive the Israelites’ journey from slavery to freedom. On Sundays in worship, we share in a simple but powerful meal, Holy Communion, where we eat and drink, remembering Jesus’ death and resurrection, and our journey from sin and death to forgiveness and life everlasting. Sharing meals together can be powerful!

If you have an idea for a meal, and would like to help cook it, please let us know. It’s nice to give our regular cook, Cheryl Richter (and others) might like a break from her weekly act of love and service to all of us.

In the Bible verse above from Acts, says: “and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” We’re seeing growth here, too, little by little. Praise God for that! I believe all these meals are an important part of welcoming and getting to know our visitors, not just feeding our bodies. Let’s be fed by the Word of God, and fill our stomachs with some delicious food this Sunday. See you!

Tastefully;
Pastor Dan

ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Join us this Sunday for worship with First Evangelical and Holy Cross churches. We pray you experience God’s love and grace in worship. Please join us in the Fellowship Hall after worship for a special Ecuadorian lunch prepared by the Luzuriagga family. A freewill offering will be received to cover costs.

- Holy Cross Church Council will meet after worship this Sunday, with a Special Church Congregational meeting on September13th after worship, all Holy Cross members are encouraged to attend.

- Join us for a new 10 week Bible Study starting September 16th. “See Through the Scriptures” makes the Bible more accessible by taking readers step-by-step through the entire biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation, putting everything in clear context. There is a sign-up sheet in the back of church to pick up materials. We will meet in chapel Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.

- Come for a very special time of Music & Testimony with Dr Elihana Elia, on September 20th during morning worship. Elihana is passionate about creating inspirational music with messages of faith in the G-d of Israel, hope and love for this generation. She serves in ministry with her mother Dr. Hadassah and her brother, Israel, in teaching and Jewish outreach ministry through FRONTLINE ISRAEL; Restore Israel and the Nations.