'Out of their comfort zones.' East Canton pastor with purple hair transforms church

EAST CANTON − In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is recorded as miraculously turning two fish and five small loaves of bread into lunch for 5,000.

Mount Tabor United Methodist Church is taking a more pragmatic approach to helping those in need of food assistance, but the intent remains the same, said the Rev. Christy Suffecool.

Since Sept. 1, the church at 108 E. Walnut St. has served 50 families through "Mount Tabor's Table," a new ministry that gives out free groceries from noon to 1 p.m. every Sunday for those who qualify under the federal income guidelines followed by the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

"You don't have to come to church. You can show up just for the food," Suffecool said. "There are no strings attached. We just want you to feel loved on and seen."

As of December, the church has purchased 13,000 pounds of food from the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. They've also received in-kind donations from such local retailers as Meijer, Costco and Panera.

"This was not a ministry I ever anticipated doing, and it's not budgeted, so we're running 100% off donations," Suffecool said. "It's been kind of this big teamwork approach."

A 1995 graduate of Jackson High School, Suffecool grew up attending the historic Church of the Savior United Methodist in downtown Canton — now Crossroads UMC — and the former Church of the Lakes United Methodist in Jackson Township.

She was appointed to Mount Tabor in 2020 during the COVIID-19 pandemic. When she arrived, in-person attendance was about 35 people, plus some online participation.

Pastor with the purple hair

"When I came to Mount Tabor, I warned them they would be going on an adventure with me," she said, smiling. "I've pulled some of them out of their comfort zones, and they've come along with me, and it's been awesome to watch."

In-person weekly attendance has climbed to about 90.

To challenge members further, Suffecool dyed her hair purple.

"I said, 'These are the people who need us, the ones with the piercings and the tattoos and the weird-colored hair,'" she said. "And if we can see him in them, maybe we can actually love them and show the world Christ.

"The church responded wonderfully to it. In fact, they've been asking me when I'm going to re-dye it. I've heard older congregants tell their grandkids, 'My pastor has purple hair. You really should come; she's different.' I never thought hair would be an evangelism tool."

Suffecool said the adverse impact of the pandemic was the basis for Mount Tabor's Table.

"A year ago, we learned that COVID funding was going away for free school breakfasts and lunches," she said. "That concerned us."

She noted that most of the food ministry's beneficiaries are children.

"If I go through the people that we had in December, there were 19 seniors, 95 adults and 98 kids," she said. "I think a lot of people will be surprised that most of these are working people, and they're doing their best, but the cost of food has gone up, the cost of living has gone up. They're being put in a position where they have to choose between 'Do I buy food for my family or do I pay the electric so that it doesn't get turned off?' We don't want people to have to make these choices anymore."

Canton mom starts giveaway ministry: Children inspire Canton mom's DreamByRoyal giveaway ministry

Black-eyed peas and smoked oysters

Suffecool said the church's primary demographic is East Cantonians.

"Our focus is East Canton families," she said. "For kids in the community, their moms and dads are making just enough to be on that line. They're doing their best to make ends meet."

In a thank-you letter sent to the church, one mother described the pantry as a "lighthouse of joy," adding that she has been able to "pay it forward" by helping other families.

Church lay leader Mark Kandel said the food ministry is a work in progress.

"We are learning what the food bank has, and when they have it, and what our patrons need and want," he said. "Until Christy came and did the legwork, we were completely blind to what could be done in partnership with the food bank. Becoming an affiliate seemed like a daunting prospect with maybe too much risk for a small church with limited funds like ours. In hindsight, both of those assumptions turned out to be false. I come from a long line of cheapskates, and have been absolutely thrilled and amazed by what we are able to procure with the funds we have to spend."

Kandel said Mount Tabor is the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank's first affiliate in East Canton.

"They are thrilled to have us," Kandel said. "The community response, and the opportunities to build new relationships both inside and outside of the church walls, has proven to us that God is blessing this ministry. It continues to gradually build as word spreads among those in need, which is encouraging, because we think the need is far greater than people realize. Our hope is that the love being shown and distributed will make our patrons curious about the source, and lead to opportunities for spiritual sharing as well."

Denny Myers, a member of the church's council, helped set up the pantry.

"There seems to be a lot of activity and attendance," said Myers, who grew up in Mount Tabor UMC. "People go away smiling. Everybody's really jumped in to help."

A retired Louisville fire chief, Myers said the church is thriving under Suffecool's leadership. In addition to the pantry, Suffecool has started a monthly discussion group, Burgers, Bibles & Brews, which will meet at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at Winking Lizard Tavern in Jackson Township.

"She has made a huge impact on the congregation and goes out of her way," Myers said. "The church has always been very welcoming and friendly, and she has really embraced that."

Suffecool said she makes sure that the items they purchase from the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank include the kinds of food people want to eat, including kid-friendly fare.

"Unfortunately, a lot of times, our mentality is, 'Well, if you're hungry, you'll eat it,'" she said. "But tell a 6-year-old, 'Yeah, you're gonna have to eat black-eyed peas and garbanzo beans and smoked oysters.' Have you ever seen the stuff that comes in from food drives? When I do the shopping, my rule is I don't buy anything I wouldn't buy for my own kids."

Mount Tabor's Table also gives out pet treats, tampons, hand sanitizer and cleaning products, all of which can't be purchased with food stamps.

Suffecool said the ministry's volunteers work hard to make visitors feel welcome.

"When a family shows up, typically they're feeling a little awkward and uncertain because they don't know where to go and what to do," she said. "We have a welcome desk that takes care of checking them in. They get a cart, and then it's all by choice. I feel like when you walk into a food pantry and everything's coming out of cardboard boxes or have signs everywhere that say 'limit one' or 'limit two,' for lack of a better term, I feel it's very degrading."

For this reason, she explained, Mount Tabor's Table doesn't distribute groceries pre-packed.

"We don't put limits on what people get. We just ask them to take what they're going to eat," she said. "I've been there. I was once a single mother who needed help. ... It's just been really neat to get to be a part of these people's lives. "

'Feed my sheep'

Suffecool said she thinks Mount Tabor's Table also has blessed the parishioners.

"The volunteers are out there, loading their cars for them, helping them shop, giving them recipe ideas, it's really fun to watch," she said. "I think it's given some of them purpose, but it's also given them a new passion. They have been looking for their way to love this community, and I feel like they've found their footing."

Suffecool said one family joined the church as a result of receiving help.

"We've had a baptism come out of it," she said. "We've had some others who have been testing the waters and trying out worship. But I don't look at church attendance as a measure of (success) because I don't know what church hurts these people have already gone through. There's so many people in this community who have been really deeply wounded by the church, and if we can just change the narrative on that and helps us not be a place that they dread, that's good enough for me. It's not about the Sundays. It's about having them not cringe when they think of God or church."

Last year, a group of members led by Kandel installed two "blessing boxes" in the church's parking lot that are accessible 24 hours a day.

Food any time: Stark Blessing Box Initiative provides food around Stark County

"This church has had a heart for this community and I feel like this was just the way that they finally have been able to put hands and feet to what's been in their heart for years," Suffecool said. "It's been overwhelming at times, but not in a bad way. There have been a few times when I've had to step around the corner because I'm crying. It's just been awesome, what God is doing."

Suffecool said she believes Mount Tabor's Table is in keeping with the Great Commission.

"Jesus said 'Feed my sheep,'" she said. "I know he meant that spiritually, but it's really hard to listen to a sermon when you're hungry. So, I think it's more important that we feed them. They may never come in here to hear a sermon but if they can see the Gospel being lived out, and they're being loved and encouraged, isn't that really the point?"

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP.

How to help

To learn more or to make a monetary donation to Mount Tabor's Table, call 330-488-1842 or visit shorturl.at/btMT9 or check out the church on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Pastor Christy Suffecool leads change at Mount Tabor UMC