[acoustic music] - [Teresa] I started thinking differently.

Just about what I wanted to do and I always felt like I wasn't doing what I was supposed to be doing.

I always felt a void, a huge void.

So while I was doing all these things, doing, you know having a pretty good career, I always felt like something was empty.

I wanted to be a person to kind of help give that hope allow others to see their gifts, their strengths that they are someone.

That's really important to me is for people to know that they're valuable and they're worthy.

So I graduated from college, very excited, had a job offer.

I was really kind of focused inward.

I think that's why I had such a large void.

I don't feel like this is what I was meant to be here for.

So then when I found my husband, when we got married I took some time off.

I left the corporate America.

My husband and I have been talking about making a change.

To doing something different, drastic 'cause we just felt like the American dream is American nightmare.

It's not an American dream because you're just stuck in the rat race.

We started seeing things from a different perspective not so much as American dream perspective, as you know what's gonna really fulfill our life and how are we gonna leave a legacy?

How are we gonna make a contribution to this world?

We had some opportunities and one of them was South Africa.

We talked to some individuals who decided to go as missionaries.

So we gave up everything.

It was just life changing because of that hospitality because of that joy that we have never experienced.

That joy was something, I think it was the void that I was talking about.

Throughout Morris County you see there's a lot of affluence, but there's also a lot of poverty and there's a lot of people who are struggling.

So as we observed and we saw these things, we felt like there were certain needs that weren't being met.

So being a part of this community, we tried to advocate for those who can't advocate for themselves.

There are a lot of working poor here in Morris County.

Those are the individuals that we support primarily as well as homeless individuals.

There are definitely a lot of challenges.

Praise the Lord, church.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Let us rejoice and be glad.

[Teresa] Bethel Church is in Morristown.

We're the oldest African American church in Morris County.

You all are amazing.

We couldn't be standing here serving this church without you.

I'm humbled and grateful to serve the people here at Bethel to serve this community.

My assignment every Sunday is to talk about what we're doing in the community, our community outreach.

So we will continue to have distributions here in Morristown up to December 15th.

And those are all the announcements I have.

So I'll leave it up to my husband to do the rest.

Amen.

Amen.

How for a small church like Bethel is bringing all these people together.

I think one of the pieces that's fascinating for people is how do you pull a community together to meet a need?

Hey, we can do this, we can talk to each other.

People of all these different views, opposing views are coming together and they're hearing each other and they're talking to each other and they're working together hand in hand and they're, you know, dancing together when the music's goin' and they're having a boss.

I mean that's to me is what it's about.

Without the church, we wouldn't have Table of Hope.

We're known for Table of Hope where we have our mobile food pantry.

We go out and distribute food throughout Morris County and as well we have a soup kitchen.

We serve dinners five nights a week.

But I think it's more than just the services we provide.

You know, we try to help people wherever they are and meet them where they are.

And sometimes food is the first place where we meet them.

We rely on our volunteers heavily.

We have a good turnout of volunteers as always.

- [Volunteer] Great, good.

- Our volunteers are on the forefront, very connected.

Develop relationships with the people that come.

The last two years we've served about 60,000 people and what we've tried to do is support smaller pantries who maybe can't get to food banks as well as pockets of poverty throughout Morris County.

But you want to help improve the quality of life for families.

I just want people to know that there are people who care and see them and I want them to know that they're worth something.

- Straight in from God.

Table of hope.

You straight blessing from above.

You know, I know from personal experience, it's not easy to declare the good that God is good all the time.

You know, I don't know about you but I'm sure life has hit you in such way where you've doubted God's goodness all the time.

But we remember the testimony of Jesus, that he died and resurrected on the third day.

And he, the sacrifice.

We can declare, surely God you are good all the time.

And this is my son's room over here.

So I ran over here and got him.

All of our clothes.

That was our closet and this was our bathroom.

So all of that just got, this was destroyed in the fire.

Destroyed.

About a month and a half ago we had the second floor of our home was destroyed.

My husband, myself and my son, we made it out just in time.

Praise God.

We're just overwhelmed by the firefighters by the police department, by the sheriff's department by the Red Cross and everyone who came while we were just standing outside in our pajamas.

The firefighters were so kind the police were so kind, we were just overwhelmed.

Even though we were in a total state of trauma, we were met with so much love.

Several weeks later as a part of our food distribution, we collect turkeys.

Then at that event, the same firefighters the same police officers and the sheriff's department they were there actually giving putting the turkeys in our trucks.

So they were providing that service and not only are they serving us through their line of work but then they're serving us in the community efforts.

When you work for the community, when you serve others you have no expectation to get anything back because that's not what you're doing it for.

But the fact that we got so much love back when we were in a crisis is overwhelming.

And it's, it's a blessing.

A local contractor came in and he did all this work and and didn't charge.

Like gutted it, cleaned it out.

You know, there's a lot to clean out obviously because the church did not have insurance.

Now we're in the fundraising process because the idea is we're actually gonna make this a recovery house for men.

It's not gonna be parsonage anymore.

It's a big house, you know?

And if we feel like it could be better utilized doing ministry.

It still seems surreal.

Like did this really happen?

Wow.

If I think about too much, you know it's gonna break down, so.

[laughs and sniffles] - For us as a family, you know, we endured a fire we endured a fire and we thank you all for your prayers and fraternity's support through our church member's support.

We preach it all the time and we know that all things work together for the good who love God are called to his purpose.

We lost a lot.

Amen.

[churchgoers clapping] But it's working for our good.

- When you are giving to others, you're serving God.

We're not here for ourselves.

We're here to be a blessing to others.

So in doing acts of service and trying to support others when they're broken they're hurt, they're lost.

I think that is something that's really near and dear important.

When I'm engaging and I just wanna make sure they got a smile and they get, you know, God bless you, or you know have a great day or they just have something positive and it's not just, here, take this, you know, and go home.

It's more like, hey, we're glad you're here and we want you to feel good that you're here.

What keeps me going?

The fact that hopefully we're having a small impact here.

I love this community.

I think it's a great community and I think that keeps me excited.

Just working in this community and my family.

Our primary objective is that that what we're doing just continues.

No matter whether it's Teresa or Sydney.

We want this to be self-sustaining 'cause we want to continue to make sure the community's being served.

Thank you so much everyone.

Thank you.

[calm music]