Thank you to The Cabinet and Kathy Cleveland

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

To the editor:

I wanted to take a moment to thank the Cabinet, and Kathy Cleveland, for the article on the Milford United Methodist Church’s Broken Bread Café. As someone who has spent many years trying to get small ventures written up in papers, it was a great relief to see our effort reflected accurately in the paper. I am sure you, as every paper must, receive your share of complaints from subjects who feel unjustly represented, so I want to help tip the scales in the favor of our local paper.

I used to participate in and produce theatre (in other markets), and I have to admit dealing with the local press is often quite a headache. It is hard to generate news by creating events, but this is to be expected. I am aware newspapers, especially those in smaller markets, are constantly struggling to keep local content on their pages, and it is a difficult business to meet market demands and remain true to the spirit of journalism. As a community member, to do something newsworthy takes vision, planning, and a little bit of luck. The grievance I usually have is after I have been fortunate enough to attract attention. I would eagerly open the paper and begin reading only to wince and sigh at the misinformation, misquotes, and confusing nature of the piece.

I don’t know how many times I have read reviews or previews for local plays, gallery openings, and events and find myself more confused about the what, when, and where than when I started. I have even seen material for events printed after they have closed. The paper seemed to be a good place to find out what I had missed, but rarely alerted me in advance of something I could attend.

It is from this place of expected disappointment I sing praises for the piece on Broken Bread Café. It is true this full meal communion worship service does occur every second Saturday of the month so the timing is less important, but the article itself was, to the letter, an accurate representation of both what we hope to accomplish and some of the obstacles we have in trying to achieve our goals. Many people from the community have commented to me directly about the good article in the paper and I believe it is not simply because our name showed up in print, but because our efforts were accurately depicted in a favorable light.

Thank you, Kathy Cleveland and thank you Milford Cabinet for taking the time to deliver quality local content.

Shameless plug: For those interested in learning more about Broken Bread Café, see the article in the Valley Community guide from Jan. 19 or visit our blog at www.brokenbreadcafe.wordpress.com.

LESLIE COATES

Ministry Director

Milford United Methodist Church