UU free bean supper marks 30 years’ service

BANGOR – The 30-year history of the Unitarian Universalist Society baked bean supper served free the fourth Saturday of each month is not exactly the embodiment of the parable of the loaves and the fishes, but it just might be close.

The suppers originated with the members of the Unitarian Church on Union Street, now known as The Brick Church. Unitarian and Universalist church members merged and now worship at the church at 120 Park St., said Natalie Gregory of Eddington, chairwoman of the church social justice committee.

She has been a volunteer at the suppers for 10 years. The committee pays for milk, fruit, bread and condiments for the meals, she said. The rest of the food for the meal comes from donations made by church members and friends of the church.

“It all started [in 1978] and continued because there were no meals available on Saturdays to the homeless and those living on marginal incomes,” Gregory said. Meals were available weekdays then at various charitable institutions and now at The Salvation Army, Manna Ministries and other soup kitchens.

Like the loaves and the fishes which fed the multitudes, the free bean supper at a single church prompted other churches to step in and provide a meal for the hungry on the remaining Saturdays.

Hammond Street Congregational Church took the first Saturday of each month, St. John’s Episcopal Church took the second Saturday, and Grace United Methodist Church took the third Saturday.

“So all the Saturdays are covered,” Gregory said. “It’s nice to know that people are getting a good meal. They appreciate it. And they are surprised that no prayers are requested before the meal. They may say grace if they wish, but it is not mandatory.”

“It’s a steady need,” Gregory said. “There are always people on the margins of society, people with disabilities or mental health issues who can’t care adequately for themselves.”

Currently, 50 to 65 people dine at the free supper.

“We’re seeing a lot of new faces this summer. As we get into the winter and heating season, we will see more faces,” Gregory said.

Becky Gunn, the new pastor at the UU church, echoed that observation. “The [baked bean] supper will be more critical this winter because of the high cost of fuel,” she said.

Gunn, who assumed the pastorate of the Bangor UU church as of Aug. 1, said she’d like to see the bean supper expanded to serve more of those in need.

Gunn came to Bangor from Boulder, Colo., where she was interim pastor at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Boulder. She was ordained in 2006, turning to the pulpit after a 30-year career in management in the high-tech industry in California.

“This is so much more fulfilling for me with the focus on people, caring and helping,” she said.

Her first day in the pulpit at the UU Church in Bangor will be Sunday, Aug. 24. The topic of her sermon will be “Were We Founded as a Christian Nation?”

Gunn said she hopes to bring a liberal religious message to the Bangor community and to convey that the word liberal means “inclusive, loving and helpful.” She hopes to open the worship service to new types of music and to “increase the visibility of Unitarian-Universalism in the community.”

The next free baked bean supper will be held 4-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 120 Park St.