Ministry of the Chocolate Ginger Cake . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field, 

and glean ears of corn after him

in whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV

 

 

Here I go again, another blog post dealing with food . . . this time a cake. Do I feel bad about this? No. This is just another one of the experiences from my journey that I'm feeling led to share about. And there really is a ministry involved here . . .

Coleraine Meeting House

For this one we have to go back to Friday, August 2^nd, when our Pilgrimage group visited Coleraine Meeting in Northern Ireland. We enjoyed their warm Friendly hospitality, wonderful conversation and fellowship, saw their Meetinghouse and shared tea and a light meal together. This is a nice little Meeting, I don’t know exactly how many members they have, but I believe there were about five or six members that we were able to visit with. They meet in what was the home of one of their former members who had left it to them. It had been his home, so it’s in a row of flats - or what we might call townhouses. Interesting side note is that it’s across the street from an Orange Lodge, home to one the local Protestant fraternal organization in Northern Ireland.

Meetingroom

 

We had a bit of conversation and then went back to see their Meetingroom which was very nice. I especially liked the large skylight and the pictures on the wall of a couple of the panels from the Quaker Tapestry that we had seen on Sunday. We then gathered for a bit in the kitchen – and what could be better than good Quaker conversation in the kitchen? After a bit we went in to the front room where we found a wonderful table full of all sorts of interesting dishes. A bit of prayer and then more conversation as we sipped tea and had a bit of nourishment. I really enjoyed learning about what these Irish Friends were involved in and of course we shared with them.



A couple of dessert options were available, but I enjoyed only one of those . . . a chocolate ginger cake. This was really delicious! I asked the Friend who made it if she'd share the recipe and the next morning I received the recipe in an email from her. I have shared the recipe with the other Friends on the Pilgrimage with me, as a couple of them had expressed an interest in it as well. I knew that I would find myself making many chocolate ginger cakes and sharing them with Friends at Mooresville Friends Meeting, other Friends gatherings, with some of my other friends and with my family.



Front room set-up
for tea

Now, before I could make this cake there were a couple of things that I had to do first. I had to make a few changes to the recipe - that is I had to covert the cooking temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit, the pan size from centimeters to inches, and one of the ingredients from grams to ounces. That was the easy part! The hard part was finding some of the ingredients or their equivalents! This was a bit tricky, but with a few Internet searches I was able to figure out what I needed. Luckily, I didn't have to make one substitution for this one, unlike the Sugar Cream Pie we made at Moyallon Centre. I wasn’t able to find the ‘glace ginger’ for the top – so this time I left those off, but I will be looking for these OR will make my own! 



This last week I thought that our August Monthly Meeting seemed like a great time to start sharing this treat with members of Mooresville Friends. So after a bit of shopping to gather the necessary ingredients I was ready to bake. I knew that the small 23 cm cake wasn’t going to be big enough to take to Monthly Meeting, so I doubled the recipe, and used a 9x13 inch baking dish and added a few prayers that this would work out.



Chocolate Ginger Cake

So, today, I shared my Chocolate Ginger Cake with the members of Mooresville Friends during our Monthly Meeting pitch-in. I did get up and share about half-way through lunch the story behind the cake, which prompted a few Friends to get up and try a piece. I can report that the Young Friends who tried it said it was very good! I still had quite a bit left over, so I took it with me to a worship group that I attend on Sunday evenings - with Friends from several local, and not so local, Meetings. I still have a few pieces left, but I can now handle what is left.

 

There is an upcoming event, the end of September, with a wider circle of Friends attending that I have been told I will need to provide a dessert for . . . and I believe a Chocolate Ginger Cake will be shared with those Friends! I had a Friend try to talk me out of baking the one I was making last night, saying I should wait two weeks to make it . . . so she could have a piece. When she realized that I was making it she asked if this one was practice for making one in two weeks. Hummmm, not sure about that, but if I were to make one in two weeks . . . I might make her help!



So, the ministry of the Chocolate Ginger Cake, that’s easy . . . it all began with the Friend from Coleraine Meeting who made it to share with this group of Quaker Pilgrims visiting from the United States and England. It continued when I asked her if she would share the recipe with us and her sharing the recipe with us. And now, with my baking it, I have begun the sharing here - first with the members of Mooresville Friends Meeting and then with Friends at a local worship group I attend. And the sharing will continue as I know I will be making it again and again . . . and some of my fellow Pilgrims may as well.



Quilted wall-hanging -
inside the front door

The ministry is in the sharing and willingness to share with one another – not just our words OR His Words, but also with those things that we make. Sometimes it's food - when we have potlucks or shared meals of some sort or sharing of our bountiful harvest. Other times it's the sharing of some of our other God given gifts and talents, whatever those might be. This cake has not only provided nourishment to/for our bodies but it has also provided some comfort. And for me, it provides fond memories of the time, conversations and a meal shared together with some of my Irish Friends and fellow Pilgrims!

 

Thank you Coleraine Friends for opening up your Meeting to us, you warm hospitality and for taking the time to share with us on our journey. God Bless you all! 

 

And the ministry of the Chocolate Ginger Cake goes on . . .