Food For Thought

Groups feed women's minds, spirits
Food for Thought and its sister program, Lunch Encounters, present thoughtful events that fit in with busy lives.

By H.M. Cauley

For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 03/29/07

Sometimes more really is better. Take the case of the monthly women's program Food for Thought. The third-Thursday lunchtime meeting brings business and executive women from around downtown and Midtown to North Avenue Presbyterian Church, where they spend an hour being inspired, motivated and stimulated by thought-provoking speakers.
The idea was such a good one, and so successful, that some of its participants decided Buckhead women needed the same kind of event. The result is the recently organized Lunch Encounters, held for one hour on the second Wednesday of the month at Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist church.
Organizers of the two programs agree that the meetings fill a need for women of all faiths from across the city.
"This is definitely a ministry to the community; it's not designed to be an on-ramp to the church," said Ann Carter McDonald, a 34-year member of North Avenue and the founding force behind Food for Thought. "We wanted this to be broad in its outreach, not just denominational, but a sort of a front porch to the church. It's a place to consider what it means to integrate faith into life without a denominational or liberal/conservative bent. It's also a wonderful way to bring women of different races together."
Since it started 10 years ago, Food for Thought has been faithful to its original goal, said Carter McDonald.
"In a low-key way, we wanted to expose people to ways to integrate their faith with their work and to be exposed to other Christians who were doing that," she said. "Then we saw there were many people out on our sidewalks at the noon hour —- many women in the workplace that the local churches had not paid a lot of attention to. We wanted to create a place of respite, a relaxing place and where people would be challenged; where they could find Christians engaged in thinking about the same things they were thinking about."
The organizers also knew the event had to be time-sensitive to fit into busy working women's schedules. And the speakers had to bring some insight or idea that would stay with them after they left the church. Among the many who have taken the podium are Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin; Chick-fil-A owner Truett Cathy; Georgia first lady Mary Perdue; and developer John Wieland and his wife, Sue. There's time before and after the talk for women to network and mingle and to sit down to a $6 boxed lunch from Panera Bread.
From an initial group of about 80, Food for Thought has drawn more than 200 on occasion. And it continues to grow.