Photo: Callala Christian Community Church pastor Kevin Kettlewell (left) hands a dozen eggs to one of the distribution team members Denise Mulligan.
By Emily Ferguson
It might seem a small thing to bless a neighbour with some eggs, but for Callala Christian Community Church treasurer Wayne McKee it has become something precious.
As part of a distribution team that delivers eggs to those in need, he loves hearing the stories of blessing – like one man’s 92-year-old father with dementia who looks forward to his three scrambled eggs every morning.
“It has been a joy to me to be part of the egg ministry,” Wayne said. “To be able to spend time with people, to see them respond positively in a somewhat lonely time – to me these small opportunities give way for relationships to grow.”
Pastor Kevin Kettlewell recognised an opportunity to bless others through relationships with the local community when he heard that a friend was delivering farm-fresh eggs to various distribution points around the area.
“These are fresh eggs but they’re seconds, which means they’re too big, the wrong shape, too small or they’re very dirty and the cost of washing them isn’t worth it,” Kevin said. “We’re a distribution point for them. There’s a bit of work in sorting them, and then they are distributed to people who have need.”
Every Wednesday or Thursday, Kevin receives a shipment of up to 2500 eggs, which are delivered to those in need through a team of 6-8 volunteers. The volunteers come from varied backgrounds and include a local fire brigade captain, a hospital chaplain, and people from Callala Christian Community Church as well as other churches in the area.
Eggs are delivered through personal networks wherever people are in need, including a local caravan park, a family who lost their home in the ‘Black Summer’ fires, unit blocks and a retirement complex.
Kevin added, “What we’ve found with the eggs is it’s been an opening up of conversation with the people who distribute them. It’s building bridges into our community and we’ve found it’s a ministry. They know who we are and what we believe, and maybe eggs are just what will open up some of those conversations.”
But the egg ministry did not just happen out of nowhere – it was made possible through years of relationship-building.
“The ability to reach into the community comes from actually getting to know people and where they’re at,” said Kevin, who has lived in the area for 38 years. “We know people who have contact with people in need, so it sort of spreads out.
“You’ve got to be available to the community, listening to the voices of people who are looking for something. As we interact with our community, as we show our face as being ordinary everyday people with our struggles, we’re able to listen to the stories and that’s where I believe ministry will happen.”
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