Bread Church begins to Rise
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.