I cried today

Editor’s Note: The following post was originally written just prior to this year’s Santa Breakfast at Ellensburg First UMC. Click here to view photos from the 2017 Santa Breakfast on their Facebook page. Thanks to Rev. Stuart for allowing us to share her words here.

By Rev. Jen Stuart

I cried today.

I cannot remember the last time I cried, but today I couldn’t stop.

The church I lead is hosting a Santa Breakfast tomorrow. It started out 3 years ago as a fundraiser, but we quickly learned that we weren’t going to make much money. Instead it’s become a way to give back to our community. We serve breakfast downstairs and then the families go upstairs to take a picture with Santa, make ornaments, read the Christmas story, and generally get caught up in the wonder of the season.

Ellensburg is a small town with no mall so when Santa visits it is a big deal. The church members sell tickets for this event, but mostly the members buy the tickets and we give them away to low income families. It has become something that we all look forward to.

It’s a little church. Our budget is just under $180,000 with most of that going to our tiny staff and the upkeep of the building. The building is in the middle of our town and it gets used by all kinds of non-profits: The Audubon Society, 12 Step Programs, the Kittitas County Syringe Exchange, Eburg Pride, Valley Music Theatre, Justice for our Neighbors, our Free Clothing Store, a small Hispanic congregation, and more that I’m currently forgetting. We don’t charge them much if anything at all. The building and all that it is used for is our gift to Ellensburg. The congregation I serve is so very interested in making Ellensburg a place where everyone feels Gods love.

This morning, on my day off, the first call of the day was from the Health Department. They’d gotten a call and complaint about our Santa Breakfast. Did we have a permit?

Here’s the deal. We totally forgot to get a permit. Honestly we just didn’t know that we needed one. We’ve spent over $10,000 in recent years refurbishing our kitchen so that we were up to code and could participate in the Kittitas County Fair selling potatoes. A great many of us have gotten our food handlers permit, and we have the money to get a permit. So the issue for me isn’t that we needed a permit. What made me so very sad was that someone called into the health department to complain about it. The more I thought about it, the more I started crying.

I know that churches have a bad reputation. I know that people think churches hate everyone who doesn’t believe as we do… but that just isn’t true. This church follows the teachings of Jesus by helping everyone we can, by showing love, by sharing space, by doing our very best to take care of those who cannot care for themselves.

I cried and I couldn’t stop. The poor sweet man at the health department is probably going to need a drink after work. He was so kind to me in my world weariness. I paid for the permit and then went to the church filled with good people decorating and excited to express love through pancakes, eggs, glitter, and Santa. I looked at them and started crying again. I am so blessed.

So yes, I cried today. I cried thinking about how sad someone must be to call in a complaint over a Santa Breakfast. I cried for him, and for those who think like him. But I also cried in thanksgiving. I cried because I love these people, and this church, and this community so much and I’m so very thankful that God has called me to this place.

Rev. Jen Stuart serves as pastor of Ellensburg First United Methodist Church in central Washington State.