Food & Faith

Thanks to theologian and pastry chef, Kendall Vanderslice (yes, that’s her real name!) for creating and sharing this Great Idea – and resources to back it up.

Vanderslice left her post as a pastry chef in a ‘toxic’ work environment, pushed a variety of sociological and theological graduate degrees, and found a new calling in baking bread for a small local church to sell at the local farmer’s market – as a way to get to know their neighbors – as she began ‘teaching workshops on bread baking as a form of prayer, helping others to experience God’s nearness through the feel of dough…’

Reflecting on this progression, Vanderslice writes,

‘I believe that all of our time in the kitchen can be a form of embodied prayer, a time to meet with God through the movements of our hands. Too often we imagine prayer to be the words that we say to God, whether those written so carefully in our prayer books or expressed extemporaneously in the quiet of our hearts. But God longs for us to simply rest in God’s presence, whether or not we have words to encompass our need. In a cultural moment of loneliness, isolation, and increasing polarization, this tactile method of being present with God is the balm we need. As is the practice of sharing the fruits of our labor with friends and family, strangers and neighbors—a way of extending the love of God to everyone in our lives.’

With our social fabric so strained and fractured, re-learning how to gather around a meal may be a beautiful way to begin repair.

Especially as we look toward Thanksgiving, individuals may find this a healing and hopeful practice to experience with a small group at church in preparation for family gatherings.

As we move into Advent, this could be a beautiful intergenerational practice to help the congregation live into the hope, joy, peace, and love of that Season as we prepare to receive the promise of God-with-Us at Christmas.

Read Vanderslice’s full blog post, including A Liturgy for Baking, here.

Find her website – with a full list of resources for Bake & Pray and other books here.

Find additional Spiritual Practices incorporating Food/Cooking in our lib guide.