Bethel Lutheran Church (ELCA), Templeton, CA

"All are welcome," said Amy Beveridge, Bethel's pastor. "You don't have to drink to sing and you don't have to sing to come have a drink. Drinks and food for purchase. Coffee house variety too. Come raise your spirits."

Singing is led by members of Bethel's music team.

Bethel Lutheran Church sponsors Beer and Hymns occasionally in North San Luis Obispo County. This sing-along of new and old acoustic mix is free and open to the public.

Bethel is a congregation of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), the largest Lutheran denomination in the US. Bethel worships Sundays, 9:30 a.m. at 295 Old County Rd., in 'the little brick church in Templeton.' All are welcome.

Bethel is the longest-continually-serving Lutheran church building in Southern Calif. Free nursery service is available for infants and toddlers. Call (805) 434-1329 for Bethel's Sunday School schedule. Visit BLCTempleton.org or Bethel Lutheran Church on Facebook. 'Bethel' means 'House of God.' The motto of the ELCA is 'God's Work. Our Hands.'

*Nadia Boltz-Weber is an ELCA pastor and best-selling author of Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint (2014) and Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People (2015).

**The Wild Goose Festival is an annual gathering of Christians. "Wild Goose provides space for courageous, imaginative, and participative social justice work, creative expression, spiritual practice, and astonishing music. We are called to embody a different kind of religious expression than has often dominated our institutions and culture. We believe that the best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better; so we refuse to merely denounce the shadow of the tradition and abandon it. Instead, we humbly seek to both tear down and build up, walking a path that embodies love of God, neighbor, and self." Visit WildGooseFestival.org, especially http://wildgoosefestival.org/wild-goose-invitation/

Editor: a media release, photo and graphic are available at http://simpleliving.startlogic.com/Bethel.html. For more information, interviews and photos, contact Pastor Amy Beveridge at (805) 434-1329 or TempletonPastor@yahoo.com.

This article is covered by Creative Commons. You are welcome to publish it without attribution. It was written by Gerald Iversen, M.A. journalism, a member of Bethel Lutheran, Templeton.

[END]

MEDIA RELEASE

Bethel Lutheran Church
295 Old County Rd.
Templeton, CA

Aug. 1, 2016
Release at Will

Bethel Lutheran Celebrates Ugly Food

"We've learned that 40% of food in America goes to waste! in fields and gardens; in homes, stores, restaurants and schools," said Amy Beveridge, Bethel's pastor.

"Our Community Connection Team is planning this series to help our members and the community see that imperfect produce is no less valuable, in fact, it may be more nutritious in some cases," she said.

"Each Sunday in August at our 9:30 a.m. worship we will have a different focus, sometimes with short videos and appropriate music. For the potluck banquet after worship on Aug. 28, members will offer dishes that include ugly food. We will have a special speaker for the banquet," she said.

"We expect these events to be fun as well as educational. One Sunday will include testimonials by members who are involved in agriculture about how they are dealing with drought. Another Sunday will focus on gleaning -- to harvest or collect leftover fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste -- thanks to GleanSLO, the gleaning arm of the San Luis Obispo County Food Bank. We agree with their motto: Rescuing nature's bounty for the benefit of our community," she said.

"We have learned much about food waste and global hunger through such resources as FutureOfFood.com, NatGeoFood.com, and the cover story of the March, 2016, National Geographic Magazine.

"Some of the videos that we will show include 'Thirsting for Justice' and 'Tossed Out: Food Waste in America' from public TV.

"We are sharing tips, such as carrying a reusable 'take home' container in our cars, which saves left-overs from our restaurant meals and keeps more single-use containers out of the landfill.

"We've seen headlines that Ugly Food Can Feed the World. We want to do our part. We want to reduce waste by celebrating Ugly Food!" she said.

Bethel is a congregation of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), the largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S. Bethel worships Sundays at 9:30 a.m. at 295 Old County Rd., Templeton. All are welcome.

Bethel's "little brick church" is the longest-continuously-serving Lutheran building in Southern Calif, serving North County for 128 years. Free nursery service is available for infants and toddlers. Call (805) 434-1329 for Bethel's Sunday School schedule. Visit Bethel Lutheran Church on Facebook. "Bethel" means "House of God." The ELCA motto is "God's Work. Our Hands."

EVENT SCHEDULE

LEARN. ACT. EAT.

August 7th

Gleaning, Harvesting & the Food Pantry
Guest Speaker: Emily Wilson from GleanSLO
Film: 'The Line'
Volunteer recruitment to go harvest for the Food Bank

August 14th

Evolving with the California Drought
Guest Speakers:
Rancher, Kathy Marquart
Winemaker, John Anderson
Film: 'Tossed Out'

August 21st

The Struggle for Clean Drinking Water in California
Guest Speaker: Paula Wansa
Film: 'Thirsty for Justice'

August 28th

Water: Source of Life
Film: Shorts from Lutheran World Relief
And an UGLY FOOD BANQUET featuring the culinary creativity of our congregation

END

Editors: For more information or interviews, contact Ugly Food Project coordinator Gerald Iversen at 805-400-0182. For a feature/backgrounder and graphics, visit http://simpleliving.startlogic.com/Bethel.html

FEATURE

July 7, 2016
Release at Will

Drought, Ugly Food and Church: A Month of Exploration

On Sunday, August 28th, Bethel Lutheran Church will be hosting an Ugly Food Banquet. The idea arose last summer in the long days of drought here in California. A few of us were talking about how farming practices were changing in our area: dry farming grapes, choosing new crops, and harvesting food that is imperfect in its appearance. I read an article on the NPR blog The Salt about pomegranate and response to drought. In growth under harsh conditions, the stress triggers antioxidant production. Fruit might be smaller, but it's just as healthy, if not more. So the ugliest food, the kind that never makes it to the grocer is actually the most nourishing to our bodies. And that was the spark that got me thinking and talking with others in the church. Faith practices across religious traditions are invested in healing and repairing our communities. And often, it is the ugly in our world that proves the most transformative. That along with my personal search to do something beyond showering in a bucket and watering my plants with dishwater during the drought has driven my curiosity in this project.

We have a team of people in the church who have built a month of activities, speakers, and volunteer opportunities around the phenomenon of Ugly Food. We will have this potluck challenging participants to prepare ugly foods. It doesn't necessarily mean people have to buy misshapen potatoes or harvest split fruits from the garden, although it could/will also mean being clever with old stuff in your fridge. A lot of folks in our community grew up in a generation when you used your stale bread and brown fruit for tasty desserts and we hope to learn from their creativity. Our hope is to grow awareness of eating as a spiritual practice, one that has positive impact for hungry families, drought-stricken land, and dirty air.

Bethel is a congregation of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), the largest Lutheran denomination in the US. Bethel worships Sundays, 9:30 a.m. at 295 Old County Rd., in "the little brick church in Templeton." All are welcome.

Bethel is the longest-continuously-serving Lutheran church building in Southern Calif., serving North County for 128 years. Free nursery service is available for infants and toddlers. Call (805) 434-1329 for Bethel's Sunday School schedule. Visit Bethel Lutheran Church on Facebook. "Bethel" means "House of God." The motto of the ELCA is "God's Work. Our Hands."

Pull quote:

Our hope is to grow awareness of eating as a spiritual practice, one that has positive impact for hungry families, drought-stricken land, and dirty air.

Box:

Exploring the connection of faith & food in a time of drought
Every Sunday in August - 9:30 a.m.
All welcome. Bring a friend!
Speakers, film, music, worship, fun!
Ugly Food Banquet, Aug. 28
Bethel Lutheran Church
295 Old County Rd., Templeton
805/434-1329 * BLCTempleton.org * Facebook

-30-

Editor: a media release and graphic are available at http://simpleliving.startlogic.com/Bethel.html. For more information, interviews and photos, contact Pastor Amy Beveridge at (805) 434-1329 or TempletonPastor@yahoo.com.

This article is covered by Creative Commons. You are welcome to publish it without attribution. It was written by The Rev. Amy Beveridge, pastor of Bethel Lutheran, Templeton, CA

BACKGROUNDER

Why Would a Church Organize an Ugly Food Project?

The idea came to them right at the same time. Inspiration! Amy Beveridge, Pastor of Bethel Lutheran (ELCA), Templeton, and church member Gerald Iversen were planning events for the congregation's Community Connection Team. Besides traditional events, such as Fourth of July Parade, and fun events, such as their Beer & Hymns series in local restaurants, they wanted something of social relevance. Someone mentioned food waste and another asked, "Have you heard about ugly food?" "Yes!"

The Ugly Food Project moved quickly from a single event to a month-long series for August.

Iversen, a retired Associate in Ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is a rostered leader, as is Pastor Beveridge. He has spent much of his professional life battling waste. Raised on a cattle and grain ranch near Shandon and working for decades with the Lutheran Hunger Program, food waste is especially crucial to him.

"It's quite intolerable that 40% of food in America* goes to waste! -- in fields and gardens; in homes, stores, restaurants and schools," Iversen said.

"What fascinating to me," said Pastor Beveridge, "is that ugly produce may actually be healthier than pretty food. Some imperfect, cracked fruit, for example, contains more antioxidants."

"This fun, educational series for the public challenges Americans' unfortunate need for produce that's perfect in appearance. We will provide a hand-out to all participants summarizing the need for food safety and security, tips, resources, etc. We will have several speakers, presentations, skits, and short videos," she said.

"This is particularly relevant to this area during this time of drought. Though we are foolish to be wasteful anytime, it's particularly striking during our prolonged drought. Our drought helps us to empathize with people around the world who are hungry because of extreme weather conditions. We need to conserve water and food," she said.

"We're sold the line that we can afford and we are worth a lot of convenience. So we end up using a lot of single use items, such as plastic bags and styrofoam containers, all of which are harmful for the environment and condition us to be careless and thoughtless," Iversen said.

"Instead, we are focusing on gleaning -- harvesting and collecting leftover fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste. We are partnering with GleanSLO to learn more about gleaning efforts in the county and to experience it ourselves," he said.

"This project is called Celebrating Ugly Food!" said Pastor Beveridge. "We are not being dreary or spreading guilt. We want to be creative, especially for our Ugly Food Banquet, to share food dishes that include ugly food. We're asking our members to provide a photo of the imperfect produce that they incorporated into their dish."

Members of the general public are welcome to all of the "Celebrating Ugly Food" events on the Sundays in August, all of which are free of charge. For a schedule of events, contact Iversen at 805-400-0182 or visit Bethel Lutheran on Facebook.

Bethel is a congregation of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), the largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S. Bethel worships Sundays at 9:30 a.m. at 295 Old County Rd., Templeton. All are welcome.

Bethel's "little brick church" is the longest-continuously-serving Lutheran building in Southern Calif, serving North County for 128 years. Free nursery service is available for infants and toddlers. Call (805) 434-1329 for Bethel's Sunday School schedule. Visit Bethel Lutheran Church on Facebook. "Bethel" means "House of God." The ELCA motto is "God's Work. Our Hands."

A special Reformation episode of Simple Living Works! Podcast, hosted and produced by Bethel member Gerald Iversen, features Reformation scholar and Bishop of the Southwest Calif. Synod (ELCA), Guy Erwin. It is available beginning Sept. 1, at SimpleLivingWorks.org, window #3.

END

Editors: For more information or interviews, contact Ugly Food Project coordinator Gerald Iversen at 805-400-0182. For a feature/backgrounder and graphics, visit http://simpleliving.startlogic.com/Bethel.html

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