In Happy Valley, ministry of hospitality feeds body and soul

Mennonite Central Committee
Tuesday, 6 March 2001

HAPPY VALLEY, Labrador -- It's a cold January night here, but inside Bill and Pam Stevenson's home the kitchen is warm and the food inviting.

John Pierre Ashini and Katie Rich, an Innu couple from Shetshatshiu, have just arrived for dinner. After removing winter parkas and boots, they sit down at the kitchen table, as Bill and Pam serve up roast beef and gravy, boiled potatoes, baked carrots and garlic bread.

Holding hands around the table, a short prayer of thanksgiving is offered. Then everyone digs in.

This is a typical scene for the Stevensons, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) representatives in Labrador, a region in northeastern Canada.

"This is not our home. We live here," said Pam, about their MCC-owned house. "It's a gift. And we want to share that with other people."

They often cook a pot of soup or throw together a quick stew, and open their doors to a host of guests. Pam said they are guided by the message of Matthew 25 to invite in strangers, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty and so on. "That really sums up what we try to do here," she said.

Doing a quick mental count, Pam estimates they've hosted at least 300 people for meals in the past year. Their ministry of hospitality extends to overnight guests too--an estimated 100 in the two years they've lived in Happy Valley. Women fleeing abusive situations sometimes spend a night. So do men coming out of prison. So do friends who have been ill, people traveling for funerals in Shetshatshiu and others.

Bill said they themselves have felt the doors of Christian churches shut in their faces because they didn't dress or act in the "right" way.

"We feel unfortunately the door of the church is closed to far too many people," said Pam. "That's what we try to do here--open doors--because God loves everyone.

"As long as we are here we will not close the doors."

These meals also serve as an opportunity to model healthy family life, to encourage families to sit down together and enjoy each other's company. The Stevensons always join hands with their guests at the start of a meal and pray together. It is non-threatening. They thank God for their guests by name. Often each person adds to the prayer. Sometimes the guests participate in Inuktituk or Innu-aimun (the aboriginal languages of Labrador).

"We try to feed the body, but we also try to feed the soul," said Pam.

Back at the Stevenson's kitchen table on this Thursday night, meal time is happily chaotic. The phone rings occasionally, and during one call the receiver is passed around the table for others to share greetings. Then the doorbell announces a young couple from Shetshatshiu. They're invited in for tea and Bill's blueberry pie. And the circle around the table grows a little larger.

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org