Bread Church participants gather ingredients for an evening of baking and spiritual discussion. Photos by Brian Diggs.
Bread Church is one of many outreach programs Kepler-Karrer has launched since arriving at Memorial five years ago, one of many small victories for a congregation with an all-too-familiar story. After years of decline, Memorial has the hallmarks of many mainline Protestant churches today — low attendance, financial struggles, an aging congregation and worries about long-term survival.
But Kepler-Karrer and church members are too busy to plan their funeral. They are baking bread with neighbors, coordinating ESL classes for immigrant parents and inviting an assortment of community groups — from the Austin Ukulele Society to Meals on Wheels — into their space.
