What keeps this church alive is also what helps keep the community of people who come to its soup kitchen alive and well.

"A church that does not do mission is dead," says Sandi Chaplin, outreach chairperson of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. The soup kitchen mission there is one of the strongest links in a chain of churches that help provide meals for those in need.

For the past 10 years the Episcopal Church -- including St. Paul's and the Church of the Redeemer -- has been a provider of hot meals every Tuesday. At 12:30 a.m. volunteers pray and bless the food in hopes of offering a "spiritual blessing" as well as one of nourishment. Spirituality is not a requirement. The soup kitchen is open to everyone.

The kitchen is now completely staffed by volunteers of the two churches since the retirement of former organizer Betty Green. Excited about the "increasing strength" in the partnership between the two churches, Loretta Scott-Walker, a volunteer from St. Paul's says, they're "looking forward to serving." Citing reasons such as high unemployment rates, the uninsured who have to spend a great deal for health care, young mothers and the disabled, Chaplin says, "There aren't enough soup kitchens in the area."

"Are you saved?" are the first words that Mr. Ziegler, who loyally comes to the kitchen will greet you with. Saving people from a day of hunger is what this endeavor does every week. Sometimes more than 60 people come to the soup kitchen. The busiest time, says Chaplin, is the last week of the month and around the holiday season.

There are two people you might meet if you ever visit or volunteer at the soup kitchen. One man is a Vietnam veteran who boils everything down to just having a hard time. After a tour in Cambodia and serving in two armed services, simply holding on is a task that he is trying to handle. This mission is providing a helping hand to this disabled veteran and others like him who are reaching out.

He says, "I mainly come to accept a hand and to give a hand and I try to do the best that I can do for myself and for others."

A victim of post-war traumatic syndrome, the veteran says that he is like the song "Back Down Memory Lane" and suffers from bad memories from the war. This outreach helps him build new and better memories of service to combat the bad ones.

Another patron of the soup kitchen is a father of two young high school boys, ages 17 and 14. Michael Corley comes almost every Tuesday, and said he is reaching out, but not just for food.

"I've been though a lot of hard times and it's been hard getting on my feet again," Corley said.

He and many others say the soup kitchen is a way for them to reach to the others that they meet that have similar situations. Corley said he has met some nice people while visiting the soup kitchen and on Tuesdays they are a part of his life.

"Food for the body is one thing but food for the soul is another," Corley said.

The outreach committee and others who help and volunteer at the kitchen are fixing more than just some hunger pains. Before any food is served a blessing is offered over not only the food but the people that come to eat. Chaplin said helping the community is what's most important. All of the food served at the soup kitchen is funded though the budget of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer and St. Paul's Episcopal.

There is a network of churches who serve on different days of the week for most of the year. Church of the Redeemer and First Baptist Church are the only one which operate year round. The network consists of New Mount Zion Baptist, Mount Pisgah, First Baptist, Williams Chapel AME and the Episcopal Churches of St. Paul and Church of the Redeemer. There are only two soup kitchens operating during the summer; the goal of the churches involved is to have one everyday. First Baptist opens its kitchen on Mondays.

If you are interested in helping staff the kitchen or sponsoring the kitchen by purchasing the food for a day, contact the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer at 803-534-3794, or St. Paul's Episcopal at 803-536-5694.

T&D Staff Writer Kimberly Washington can be reached by e-mail at kwashington@timesanddemocrat.com and by telephone at 803-533-5549.

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