Teresa Thompson rediscovered her love for kneading and baking bread in August 2018, which gave her the idea of starting a bread baking business like the one she owned 30 years earlier while living in Idaho.
When she had owned her business in Idaho, though, her joy had come from baking the bread, not from selling it. So instead of selling her bread, she decided to give it away. Lucy Cisneros, the pastor’s wife at Capitol View Church, encouraged her in this. She reminded her that Ellen G. White said, “There is more religion in a good loaf of bread than many think” (Counsels on Health, p. 117).
Soon Thompson was giving away 8-12 loaves of bread every week. She used her bread to encourage visitors to return, thank people for their contribution to the church service, or just help members who maybe needed a spiritual boost that week—some even struggling financially.
Pastor Hubert Cisneros began taking loaves of bread with him on his neighborhood visits, finding that doors open wide for a pastor who brings delicious bread.
Church members have donated money for the ingredients to keep this ministry going, and Thompson is determined to keep up with the baking. God continues to give her strength, and she believes there’s a need for this personal ministry at her church.
Just like Thompson with her bread ministry, each of us can partner in ministry with God in some way by using our everyday skills to help build His kingdom.
This article was written by a guest contributor from the Capitol View Church in Lincoln, Nebraska.
