Milkshakes and the Means of Grace: A Quiet Ministry in Oakhurst
At Christ Church Oakhurst, in the Diocese of San Joaquin, a simple act of kindness has grown into a quiet ministry of Word and Sacrament among the overlooked.
It began with Chuck, a parishioner who entered long-term care at Majestic Mountain Care Center, just a couple blocks from the church. Wanting to care for his friend, Frank started visiting regularly. He would bring Chuck his favorite treat, a chocolate milkshake.
Those visits opened Frank’s eyes.
Majestic Mountain Care Center serves residents in short-term recovery as well as those with long-term needs, including dementia and significant physical limitations. Many receive few visitors. Staff turnover is high and loneliness is common.
What Frank saw was not just need, but a mission field. People who would never show up in attendance numbers or serve on a vestry or lead a capital campaign, yet remain precious to God.
He kept showing up.
One milkshake became several each week. Before long, he was known simply as “the shake man.” Even residents who could no longer speak recognized him. He formed relationships and grew trust.
Seeing how many residents spent their days at the window in their room, Frank transformed their view and installed bird feeders and salt licks outside. Now, even those confined to their rooms can watch the deer and birds and find some joy. This is a small but steady witness to the beauty of God’s creation.
But the deepest need was spiritual.
An early attempt at a gathered service proved difficult. So Frank adapted. Instead of asking residents to come to church, he brought the Church to them.
One Sunday a month, he walks the halls, room by room, offering prayer, presence, and Holy Communion. Some receive only a prayer. Many receive the Eucharist. All are seen.
Many of the residents may feel without value or forgotten, but when you start with “Our Father” they remember that they are beloved. – Frank
Under the oversight of Fr. Paul Gibbons, this ministry has grown as other men and women from Christ Church have joined. What they have discovered is joy in an unexpected place. Even staff have begun to take notice.
In a small town near Yosemite National Park, the Church is living out a quiet truth. Christ is not only proclaimed from pulpits, but carried down hallways. And it is the ordinary people of God’s church reaching Oakhurst with the transforming love of Jesus Christ.
The residents of Majestic Mountain Care Center may be unseen by many but not by God, and not by His Church.
