A Coalition Where There’s Always A Seat at the Table

A Coalition Where There’s Always A Seat at the Table

By Leonard Shapiro

Linda Cook with the Potter’s House, Hope Laingen, director of mission and evangelism at Grace Church, Carolyn Colbert, Potter’s House, and Rev. Weston Mathews, rector of Grace Church.

Hope Laingen, Director of Mission and Evangelism at Grace Church in The Plains, likes to say that, “Our whole idea is that the table is never full. There’s always room for more people, so you go out and get a bigger table.”

Laingen also coordinates members of the Northern Fauquier Assistance Coalition, an ever-expanding group of churches, civic organizations, nonprofits, government agencies and individuals “dedicated to addressing the needs of our neighbors” in the county and surrounding areas.

The mission: “Member organizations address hunger, clothing and household needs, personal care needs, animal health and welfare and family and academic support.”

The coalition has more than 20 members, and that table keeps growing. In recent weeks, a group called Brotherhood on Wheels has joined, adding a Christian motorcycle club with several members who live just down the street from Grace church.

Call it meals on two wheels because they’ll start delivering food to area residents who can’t get out on their own. They’ll carry those meals (carefully) on their motorcycles and deliver at least once a month starting in December.

The coalition also is involved in a number of community-wide events, including free back to school markets in August, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter food distribution and December toy and clothing distribution.

“It’s all about relationships,” said Laingen, a Grace parishioner since 2019 who has been working in her current position since last April.

“I coordinate it,” she said. “I don’t see this as being in charge, because many of these people have worked together before. We’ve all been working here and there because there are so many needs. We realized that we could all help each other accomplish more and make it easier for our neighbors to receive the help that they need. And it’s been beneficial across the board.”

As an example, in the spring of 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Carolyn Colbert, the long-time director of Potter’s House in The Plains, was advising some of her under-served regulars who often stop by for household needs, clothing and occasionally food that Grace also would welcome them to Peas and Grace, the church’s food bank.

“Many of them were still hesitant,” Colbert said. “They didn’t know anyone, and they were concerned about having to give them personal information before they could get the food. But they went over there and came back and said ‘Oh those people were wonderful. They didn’t ask any questions, they were just there to help us.’ Now, I send all our food distributors over to Grace.”

Said Laingen, “the people at Potter’s House were willing to vouch for us and tell them we were their friends. We’ve been able to grow and meet people’s needs. It was really something beautiful.”

Grace Rector Weston Mathews has always been a firm believer in working with other similarly inclined local organizations. “My role is just to encourage the church to get to know our neighbors,” he said. “That’s what this is all about.”

Coalition representatives meet at various locations in person once a month, with meetings also available on Zoom.

“Every time we get together,” Laingen said, “a new idea comes in, and that’s very exciting. It’s just been very cool because everyone has something to bring to this group.”

You might even say bringing it to a still growing table.