Now that we may speak of the inaugural Waco Community BBQ in the past tense, I want to offer a few reflections on the event. The day was at points equally challenging and rewarding. But my conclusion at the end was that we had done something good, something worthwhile: to use a Biblical metaphor, we planted a seed that with proper nourishment and care will hopefully mature into a fruit-bearing tree. 

Recap

The day itself was, well, interesting. There was a serious crisis with an upset neighbor of the jail at 7:45 AM, which made final preparations for the event somewhat more chaotic than we'd expected. (The crisis was of no doing on our own, and apologies were later sent our way.) We spent the morning hours in a chilly wind, wondering whether anyone would actually come. Jail officials told us around mid-day that the visitation center was ordinarily four times as busy as it was that morning.

At noon, I was wondering what had gone wrong. But by 4 pm, we had given away some 400 pounds of the best pulled pork in Waco to families of inmates, the jail staff, and to a few members of the Sheriff's department who gamely and bravely decided to stop by and curiously see what was happening. We served several hundreds of people, some of whom drove out to be at the BBQ even though their children had moved on from the jail into other state prisons. The time between noon and 4 pm was totally different; I later learned that the jail actually did more visits on Saturday than they had the previous Saturday, which means that my nemesis the weather really did have a palpable impact on the event: it made it much harder for people who were on the cusp of coming to make the drive, and for those who did to stay. 

Still, that afternoon I watched as kids played with cornhole (wind prevented us from putting up the bouncy house we had rented); I watched as volunteers sat and listened to members of the community talk about their lives and experiences of incarceration; I watched as individuals connected with a representative of one of the social service agencies present (each of which, by the way, expressed gladness at the event and a willingness to return next year). Even though we didn't end up bringing them together in the way we'd hoped, the gratitude from both families and law enforcement was palpable. It began to seem like something good was happening. 

And then, when we were cleaning up, one of the many volunteers told me that she couldn't put into words how meaningful the day had been for her. I told her that I couldn't put into words how meaningful her feedback was to me.

We were given glimpses, I think, of what kind of possibility an event like this has. There are ways we can improve, things we can do to ensure we make the most of the opportunity regardless of what the weather presents. We're gathering tomorrow to ensure that we capture all of our thoughts and reflections, and to establish our list for what we need to change next year. We want to cultivate the ground we have begun to till, and to ensure that we do all that we can to help establish relationships of trust and peace within our city. But the glimpses of why we wanted to undertake this crazy venture in the first place are real. And we are genuinely glad and honored to have had the chance to be a part of it.  

Gratitude

An event like this takes so many people to pull off. First, I want to thank each of you who contributed financially. We had every dime we needed, and though we're finishing closing out the books I think we will have a head-start toward next year's event. (And yes, if everyone agrees--there will be a next year.) I've been humbled and honored by the gracious generosity people have shown us. We really tried to do something new, and while it proved to be as challenging as we had expected, it was incredibly valuable to go into it knowing so many people saw its potential and were willing to chip in. 

Second, I really have to thank my co-conspirator, whose name is unknown to many but should be advertised far and wide: Meg Sutherland. Meg is a very talented songwriter (I especially love *The Story*), who stepped in and carried a huge burden at the last minute. It's not too much to say this never would have happened without her. 

And finally, I am particularly indebted to the many volunteers who spent so much of their Saturday making this happen. Little Holy Spirit Episcopal Church proved as formidable in demonstrating warmth and hospitality as they are every Sunday, and a wide-range of volunteers from Baylor came out and helped immensely. 

Photos and videos

While the photos and video that we took ourselves during the event are forthcoming, you may see glimpses of it here or read the WacoTrib story. (I have a number of quibbles with the framing of the Trib's account, which should be clear from my above outline. The reporter came early and left well before we were finishing up.) 

Conclusion

It was easy when I first started imagining this event to allow hopes for what it could be to outrun my sense of the challenges it faced. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that the doing of good work that really matters is often hard and takes time. It is easy to see the idea--and much harder to allow the idea to take root within a community, such that it springs up into new life. I was reminded this weekend of the difficulty of such work; but the further I get away from the event, the more glad I am for the challenges we encountered. The good that is worth doing is rarely easy, and I remain convinced that there is something here not just for my own town of Waco but for many communities across our country that is worth doing. 

Though this is a concluding update, then, it really marks a beginning. Though I now speak of the Waco Community BBQ in the past tense, it marks a new kind of future. I've been grateful for the support I've received--but it became clear this weekend that there is work yet to carry on. I've committed myself to four more years of undertaking this venture. I'm excited about the start that we have made, and eager to do the work ahead. 

For questions or for more information about the above or anything else, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at matthew.l.anderson@gmail.com. I will add further updates here as they seem necessary, based upon requests. 

Your grateful servant, 

Matt