These days, Roger and Michelle McCoy donât typically find themselves in a church building most Sunday mornings, but that doesnât mean theyâve given up on church.
âThis is our church, right here,â Roger told The News Herald as he gestured to a group of approximately 25 unsheltered individuals gathered in a small grassy lot on West Concord Street in Morganton.
Every Sunday since March, the McCoyâs have set up their ministry in this lot between the Grace Episcopal Church parking lot and the Auto Spa on South College Street. Starting at 11 a.m., the ministry, dubbed The Masterâs Table, provides a homecooked meal for local residents currently experiencing homelessness. Itâs an idea that had its genesis on the coupleâs front porch last year.
âWe were doing devotions on the back porch, and it come up on that Matthew part,â said Roger. ââI was hungry, and you fed me,â that part. Thatâs how it first got started.ââSo, we left the church and just started doing it on our own,â she said.
It has taken some time to build the ministry up to what it is now.
âWe went over town and hadnât talked to a soul,â Roger said. âWe had tomato soup and cheese sandwiches, thatâs all we had ⌠We had eight people, so we told them next Sunday, weâll be here again, and we had a few more.â
As of July 2, The Masterâs Table has grown to six volunteers who feed around 50 people every Sunday, but even after the challenges of those first few weeks, the process of finding a permanent home hasnât been easy.
When the McCoyâs began the ministry in January, they set up in the parking lot between Marthaâs Park and the old Belkâs Building on East Union Street. After several weeks, they were told they would have to find a new place. From there, Roger made unsuccessful attempts to house the ministry at the Burke Mission Station and in the parking lot of a downtown church before finally being allowed to use the lot adjacent to the Autospa.