Want to see Bethelites act like greedy scavengers? Just check out the tail end of bethel family breakfast, lunch or dinners. For those not familar with this phenomenon, Gleaning was when Bethelites could basically bring their tupperware dishes down and store up on the leftover meals once the family was dismissed (usually by prayer, except for the Bethel Dinner). You'd have greedy-ass Bethelites storing up on food for the next week or two depending on the meal. During the tail end of the family prayer over breakfast or lunch, you could just look around and see family members with their tupperware bowls in hand just waiting for the magic words "amen" then utter carnage would ensue.
You had peeps stampeding over each other making their way to tables that may have had any leftovers. I rarely dug any of the meals at Bethel, but once I was eating a meal that I actually liked and as I'm pouring another glass of water into my cup, this sister comes over to my plate with her gleaning tupperware in hand and proceeds to begin shoveling my food into her "storehouse". I go "hey, I'm not done eating yet. She then begins to berate me for taking so long to finish my food and that if I don't move, I'll lose.
Married sisters were particularly territorial about Gleaning (gotta please the hubby). Some would actually argue over who got to an empty pot first at various tables. Others would store-up on eats and have room parties with the leftovers. Nice cheap way to have catered pre-cooked food.
Some of your more sheltered Bethelites were just flat-out embarassing. Some of you Bethelites thought Willy Walker was an embarassment to the Black race, try this one brother named Rodney Nelson. Rodney was your typical black Bethel lifer, the kind that would never amount to anything on the outside but had been there so long that he carved his niche in the house. Massive pot-belly, laughing all the time at shit that wasn't funny, wearing clothes that your grand-pops wouldn't even be caught dead in. Anyway my man decides to bring a hefty bag down to the table, a GOT-DAMN hefty bag. I guess he wanted to make sure he had enough eats to take him clear through the new system. A few of the brothers were just watching this fool and shaking their heads as he navigated his way from one table to the next filling the damn hefty bag. I heard some brothers later pulled him aside and counseled him on the need to be less conspicuous.
Gleaning gotta love it........