Rev. Foreman: Nourishing a community

If you asked him, Jerry Foreman could tell you the Old Testament story of David and Goliath word for word. Pastor of Princeton's Morning Star Church of God in Christ, on Birch Avenue, he would quote from memory the lines of scripture in which the small man defeats his towering foe. And hearing the story from Foreman would be most appropriate, because like David, he has attacked giants — the Goliaths of physical, emotional and spiritual hunger plaguing those around him.

Most students are still asleep on a Monday morning when Foreman steers his beat-up blue-and-white milk truck to the loading docks at Wegman's Food Market to collect surplus foods for those in need. Later in the day, he looks larger than life as he stands in the back, handing bread to the needy crowded around him.

Foreman's choice to buy the truck and distribute donated food to the hungry in the community was, like his decision 38 years before to become a preacher, inspired by God. And similar to his food service, his ministry began as a grassroots effort.

"The Lord spoke to me and he let me know he wanted me to start a ministry, start a church. I was afraid to do it at first, but the Lord kept urging me," Foreman said.

He began in 1964 by walking around his Trenton neighborhood on Sundays, asking parents' permission to preach to their children. Soon, the parents came too, and his congregation grew in size.

It is not difficult to imagine Foreman taking a neighborhood by storm. Now, at 69, he is shorter than average and slight in build, but when he speaks, his charisma fills the room.

He is very neat, with meticulously tailored clothes and a well-groomed mustache. He deftly weaves scripture, morals and humor into his small talk, a trick he attributes to one of his teachers from Bible college.

"One of the professors I used to know who used to teach the Bible said, 'Always have something humorous to tell people. When you say something humorous and you've got their attention, you can put in whatever Bible you want,' " Foreman recalled.

His voice is low and a little rough, captivating in a grandfatherly way. He always begins to answer questions directly, but gradually transitions to general preaching. His faith seems fully intertwined with all thoughts and speech.

Faith has led Foreman through life. When he moved to Trenton from Virginia in 1956, he enrolled in Bible college after earning his GED. It was after graduation that he started ministering to the community, organizing neighborhood cleanups and feeding the homeless.

Twelve years ago, Foreman moved to Princeton to fill a vacancy in the Morning Star Church of God in Christ on Birch Avenue. Here he began his unique brand of community service.

Every Monday, Tuesday and Friday, Foreman makes his milk truck deliveries. Wegman's Food Market and New Jersey Agriculture's Farmers against Hunger are two of the sponsors that give Foreman such goods as bread, milk, eggs and other produce.

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Foreman then delivers the food to hungry individuals, homeless shelters and elderly centers in the Princeton area.

His beneficiaries have come to expect him, gathering in crowds before he even arrives.

"Some of the nursing homes I go to — I go to two in Trenton — they don't buy any bread because they know I'm coming," Foreman said. In addition, Foreman leaves produce by the Morning Star Church on Saturday mornings for the needy to pick up. He organizes food baskets that include turkey during Thanksgiving, and he and his wife take sandwiches to the Trenton Rescue Mission.

He does not receive any official support for his relief projects; all the funding comes from individual donations or Foreman's own pocket.

"The Lord never lets me down," Foreman said. "He always sends someone along to say, 'Here's something to help.' "

In comparison to his noble acts, Foreman, persistently humble, tries to make himself appear even smaller. He dislikes titles like "Reverend" because he considers them self-aggrandizing. He prefers "Brother" or "Elder." He takes no credit for his accomplishments, giving it instead to God.

"It's not me," he insisted. "I'll pray at the drop of a pin, but God does the work."

In keeping with his humility, he does not believe he has the right to judge others, and so tries to lead by example.

"I am not going to tell you, 'Child, listen, you don't need to drink that liquor. You don't need to smoke. You don't need to chase after men.' I don't tell you that," he said. "All I do is stay with my wife, be loyal to her and don't let you catch me coming out of a liquor store."

Foreman has stayed with his wife for 50 years. While he worked to support the family, she stayed home and raised their six children.

"She's better than a Mercedes," Foreman joked. "You know how they say a Mercedes holds its value? She hold hers better than a Mercedes."

Foreman certainly values the unity he, his wife and their six children have maintained. His children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and greater extended family are very involved in his church, and he plans eventually to pass his ministry over to one of his sons.

But for Foreman, retirement means the chance to do service work most people would fear. On one occasion, in Trenton, he came upon two men in a fight, and one of them drew a gun, ready to shoot. Foreman broke through the crowd and convinced him not to fire. Foreman considers himself blessed to have had the opportunity to save a life.

"[I'm] little, small, ain't afraid of nothing," he said fiestily.

"I'll go into any community, and so far nothing has happened. I don't care who lives there or what kind of people they are . . . I try to understand them."

By delivering his food, whether it is bread for the stomach or simple spiritual understanding, Jerry Foreman quells the hunger around him.