Help Us Write a Cookbook

One of my favorite people I follow on Instagram is, the aptly named, Kendall Vanderslice (@knvslice): a baker, writer, and food & theology scholar.

Right now, she is baking and cooking her way through church cookbooks from around the country; one from each of the 50 states. Not only does she get to discover novel combinations, but she is learning about regional cultures and about women (who, historically and primarily put the cookbooks together), throughout history and across the country. As she tries out a recipe, no matter how strange the ingredients or process seem to her, she delights in the result and the creativity of those who developed this recipe. Along the way, she is finding new, favorite foods.

Recently, I visited my grandparents in the fishing community of Petersburg, AK, and scooped up a cookbook published by the Norwegian hall in town. It is loaded with seafood recipes, and portions that’ll feed a ship’s entire crew! Much of the cookbook does not suit my lifestyle, but the cookbook is an artifact of a culture beyond my own; it is a vessel of wisdom I would not have access to otherwise. I treasure it, and enjoy imagining the world in which these people live, becoming shocked at the strange-to-me ingredients and meals; all reminding me that the world is much bigger than me. Thanks be to God!

As we Come to the Table this fall, you are invited to share your wisdom and celebrate your culture by contributing recipes to our collaborative cookbook, Comfort & Joy! With hope that it will be published in time for the holiday season, we invite you to share recipes that bring you comfort or joy. No matter how simple or complex, whether they feed a ship’s crew or make one portion, please share your recipes with one another!

You can bring your own recipe cards for us to scan, or write your recipe on the cards available in the church office. If there’s a story that goes with your recipe, write that up too! We will collect and format the recipes, to be published by the holiday season. Passing down wisdom is one of the central functions of the church, which brings into clear view why churches have published cookbooks for generations. Sure, we pass down wisdom through children and youth ministries, in worship, and in the various classes and activities we do. But we also do it informally—in relationships, in mentoring, and in eating together around the table. And, the culture(s) of this church at this time and place are worth celebrating and remembering! I relish the idea that 50 years from now, someone will come across our cookbook in a thrift store and delight in how vastly different their world must be from ours. May we offer the world Comfort & Joy for generations to come!

—Pastor Alexa