Imagine someone opening the door of their home to your knock. The scent of homemade bread greets and envelops you as you walk through the doorway. If David Letterman had a list of the top ten most pleasant smells in the world, surely homemade bread would be at the top of the list.
Granted, it’s a wonderful smell in and of itself. Who doesn’t like it? But maybe there’s a lot more to it than just that enticing smell that makes your mouth water and causes you to want to breathe deep. Bread is a fundamental part of the eating habits of most cultures. Its leavening has worked itself through the dough of family life for generations.
Even though most of us buy bread at the store, the smell of bread hasn’t lost its magic, for it says someone did something special for the people they love. Someone took the time to show they care.
I still make homemade bread. With a twinkle in my eye, I tell my family and friends that making homemade bread is cheaper than counseling. They tease right back: Whose face are you punching now, Karen, they ask. I’m quick on the draw. I’m not taking my violent fantasies out on this lump of dough, I tell my unconvinced family. I’d rather pray than punch. Regardless of my possible motives they don’t complain about enjoying the results.
All joking aside. One wonderful friend remembers that I told a bread baking class she attended to spend time praying as they knead their dough. To this day, Kathy messages me at Christmas each year to tell me that she is making her yearly rolls and “I prayed for you.” That means more than I can ever begin to express.
Twenty some years ago, my home congregation decided to reverse positions of homemade bread. Instead of people walking into the smell of that fresh bread, through the Love Loaf ministry, they brought the bread to homes of first time visitors.
Here’s how the ministry worked. Church staff actively, assertively acquired the addresses of any first time visitor on Sunday. Within three or four days, the visitor would receive a loaf of homemade bread. It wasn’t delivered by the preacher either, for the purpose was to get ordinary people involved in a simple, user-friendly outreach. The ministry was divided up into a team of bakers and a second team of delivery people. They attached a welcome note to the bag of bread, rang the doorbell, told the person they had a gift from the church for them, and walked away.
That was it.
If the person wasn’t home, they left the still warm bread on their doorstep. Deliveries were often made late afternoon so people who were at work would be home soon to retrieve the gift. The next week, the family received a welcome letter. If they came back a second or third time, then the preacher or elders paid a call, asking them if they had questions about the congregation.
I don’t think it was coincidence that Pantano’s growth exploded exponentially over the next five years. I do know many people said they came back because the church had brought the scent of welcome to their doorstep. One lady told how she had experienced a rough day at work. Then she came home to that still warm loaf of bread and her day suddenly turned around.
As time went on, some people got the bright idea to make the bread ahead of time and put it in the church freezer. Others made nut loaves. But it wasn’t quite the same as that fresh out-of-the- oven yeast bread.
I’ve heard of other congregations making cookies for visiting children. I and others look for opportunities to share bread with bereaved people, folks just released from the hospital, new neighbors, or people who I know who are just having a bad week. I love witnessing how the smile on their face and the deep breath they take as they inhale the scent of bread miraculously relaxes their entire body before my eyes.
- What variation of the love loaf ministry does your church use to reach out to new families?
- Baking bread is the gift God has given me. What gift has God given you that you can use to say “Welcome” and “I care.”
Here is my favorite recipe to use when I want to give a love loaf.
Country Crust Bread
2 packages yeast
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
6 to 6-1/2 cups flour
Dissolve yeast in warm water (105-115 degrees). Stir in sugar, salt, eggs, oil, and half of the flour. Beat till smooth. Mix in enough flour to make dough easy to handle. Knead, let rise in covered bowl, away from drafts, for 1 hour till doubled in bulk. Shape into two large or 4 small loaves; place in greased pans. Let rise. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Welcome to Blog Hop Friday. Check out these other fine websites to discover other writers’ thoughts on the letter. “L.”
Now I want some bread. I wish more churches would bring back this kind of hospitality. Seems like a lost art of welcoming these days.
You’re spot on with that… nothing smells better than fresh hot bread! And what a fantastic ministry idea! Thanks so much for sharing, Karen.
It is a wonderful ministry and even though my current church doesn’t do it, the love load ministry at Pantanto Christian Church taught me how to bless others even though I am one.
I can smell it from here. I have a whole wheat recipe from a Mormon lady who used to bake 10 loaves a week for her big family, and when I baked that, the kids were in heaven. I used to bake a couple loaves the same days I made homemade jam, and they were allowed to have all the foam scrapings off the tops of the jam to put on the warm bread. Oh, yeah, comfort and welcoming food for sure.
I love watching people’s reactions when they get their first whiff of the homemade bread. The smiles, the memories . . . Thanks for sharing, Linda.
Baking bread is one of my favorite things to do for the holidays. Our church also welcomes people with sunshine baskets, ice cream, cards and gift certificates for pizza. But I love this idea so much more!
This evokes precious memories for me. I used to bake bread every week when my
children were little. I even had a grain mill to grind the wheat berries and make
the flour. Nothing like homemade bread! I did need to get a mixer with a dough
hook, though. It seems when I hand kneaded I would usually wind up with a
wheat door stop. 😉 Wonderful idea for churches to use!
I confess – I use a Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook. But I still take the bread out at the end and knead it by hand. It’s the only way to tell for sure that you have enough flour and that it has been kneaded enough. Besides, I like the feel of the dough in my hands – must be the child within me reverting back to Play-Do days.
Cinnamon Raisin Bread 2 lb loaf1 1/2 cups + 5 tbsp water2 tbsp margarine4 tbsp cimnonan4 tbsp sugar2 tbsp dry milk1 tsp salt1 1/2 cups raisins4 cups bread flour3 1/2 tsp bread machine yeastPlace ingredients in pan in order listed.Select: Sweet, light, 2 lbs.Unhappy with the recipe that came with my machine, I experimented and came up with this. My family loves it
Thanks for sharing this recipe. It sounds like a great ministry gift idea.
I cannot remember the last time I smelled homemade bread. Mom made it a few times but would lament that it was gone in minutes when it took all day to make. I guess nowadays it’s easier to make with a bread machine? I know it is yummy and what a wonderful outreach. That is really cool!
It is easier with a bread machine but just not the same! Bread baking does take a chunk out of my day so I don’t do it as often as i wish. I think that’s what people appreciate about it so much when they do receive a loaf as a gift. Time is one of our most precious resources so the bread is as much a gift of our time as well as the actual loaf.
I used to grind the wheat and make all the bread we ate…but life got too busy and I haven’t made it in so long now. I think it’s time though!
There’s a lady in our church who bakes on Saturday and often brings a few loaves to church on Sunday morning to give to visitors or new members. It makes everyone around them drool. LoL. Delivering it to their house is such a good idea!!!
Oh, I like this idea. Some people in our church bring in their garden produce to share, free to anyone. I like the idea of the loaves of bread. They could be shaped the night before, refrigerated, then baked Sunday morning! They could be for visitors or set out for anyone to take. What fun!