Steve was raised in Kansas and taught high school social studies for 18 years. He became active in politics and ran for and was elected to the Kansas state senate -- quite an accomplishment for a pony-tailed Democrat -- and served three terms. Door-to-door contacts did it for him, he told us. He also began part-time preaching in the 70s and became a lay-preacher in the Methodist church -- a level below being "ordained," as I understand it.
At some point he let the church know of his interest in a move to Taos and that came about in 1997. The church had started Shared Table a few years earlier as a meals program. In '97 they switched to distributing commodities in order to feed more people more substantially and to help low-income workers with large families. The program also provides at-cost prescriptions and short-term emergency assistance, such as lodging and transportation for those in need. Steve says he gets calls from the police for all sorts of situations.
If you would like to contribute to the Shared Table ministry, the address is:
El Pueblito United Methodist Church
6981 ndcbu
Taos, NM 87571
The church and Shared Table operate under separate Boards. The Methodist church is not a sponsor of Shared Table, but the NM/NW TX Conference of the church did make a special donation last year.
People coming to Wednesdays' Shared Table are not seen as prospective Methodists. The message is subtle - here is a place that cares and people who treat them with respect and dignity. Steve characterizes the church as a "guilt-free zone," open to anybody. The church has grown and they recently knocked out a wall next to the sanctuary to expand seating from 65 to 85. We're looking forward to being in church Sunday, though as the fourth Sunday in a summer month, the service will be outside under a tent.
Steve's bottom line in the Reporter story: Anne Frank's quote comes to mind: 'In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.'
Speaking of good hearts, here's Steve and Susie with a proud new papa and his baby
Susie and I have had conversations this week about how to improve the lot in life of those in poverty. There is a real issue on the types of assistance to provide. You have to meet people's survival needs, but you/we also need to provide ways for people to improve their status. It's one thing to be in poverty; it's another to be mired in poverty, to have no hope of a way out. One of the saddest things Wednesday was watching three-generation families come through the line. How do they and we break that cycle? They need skills and attitudes. We're reminded of the familiar sentiment:
“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”—Author unknown
That's the original. The website I retrieved this from also had this modified version:
"Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you can sell him fishing equipment.”—Author unknown
Now, that's the entrepreneurial spirit!
Steve told us the first Methodist church in Taos is now a residence. We drove by. The front view didn't look very churchy, but the side view, second picture, does -- note the windows.
If you should happen to be in Taos and would like to see this church/house, the address is 115 Quesnel. As you approach the Plaza area from the south, turn right at the light just past McDonald's.
I need to find out the history of this place. I recall a story that the Rev. Thomas Harwood, largely responsible along with his wife, Emily, for establishing the Methodist church among Spanish-speaking New Mexicans in the late 1800s, told. I need to look this up in Harwood's History, but, as I recall, in Taos one night a gun-wielding gang of toughs crashed a service he was holding. Cooler heads prevailed, but this was but one of several life-threatening adventures the good Reverend survived in his 40-some years of ministry in NM. Taos Methodist preachers also figured prominently in the Colfax County War of 1875. It was sparked by one preacher's murder, fanned by another preacher's zeal to find the murderer.
Speaking of history, we're coming back to this area next weekend for a New Mexico Methodist heritage event -- stops at several sites from Espanola to Cimarron.
Thursday evening we tried to catch sunset over the mesa.
Storm clouds over the mountains, reflecting the sunset, got our attention, too.
They say the New Mexico sky helped launch the Taos art colony.
Cheers for now,
Susie and Rob
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