Slideshow image

This coming Sunday, September 8, we resume two services at Covenant Church. At 10 am we will have our Sunday Service. This is our typical gathering with a music team, a sermon, children and Jr. High classes, and other elements as helpful. At 5 pm we are launching The Table @ Covenant Church. While I've talked some about what The Table is, I haven't really talked about why I'm excited about it and why I believe it has the opportunity to be really special.

  1. Food. It isn't just that I'm excited to eat. It is that there is something special that happens when people "break bread" together. Eating together can break down barriers and open up the conversation. The presence of food decreases a sense of rush and increases our sense of being present - together. We hope that no one feels pressure to bring something fancy as a part of the pot-luck meal. Some weeks, people will bring something baked or prepared in the crockpot. The next, it may be a pizza or a fruit tray or a package of cookies picked up on the way over. It is truly a "bring what you can when you can" kind of pot-luck. Don't forget . . . we have ovens and a microwave at the church which are available for last-minute prep that may be necessary.
  2. Simplicity. A lot can go into creating a program for a Sunday Service. That can be really special, but it can also lead us to think that gathering as a church is about the program. The Table will have simple music - songs which can be sung with the simplest of instrumentation or even a capella. The Table will also have a consistent and simple structure. Part of the goal of simplicity is so that a new person can come in an participate as freely as possible without having to figure out challenging songs, when to sit/stand, or thinking about whether or not they are saying/doing the right things.
  3. Sharing. The dream for The Table is that it is truly a shared experience. The food will be shared. Fellowship will be shared. The simple set-up and format will allow for responsibility to be easily shared. And there will be special emphasis on perspectives being shared. Each week will have built-in extended time for dialogue - for sharing questions, thoughts, and doubts. Our prayer is that this will be a safe place for people to explore their own faith (or lack thereof) and that it will be a place where the good news of Jesus is discovered.

I'm eagerly anticipating our Sunday Service and all that I believe God is going to do through that format. Covenant Kids is kicking off with a new curriculum and it will be amazing.

But there is something extra-exciting about starting something new and trusting that God will use it - in all it's simplicity - to help people find a safe place in which they can learn that they are Beloved, find a place to Belong, and be invited to Become all that he has created them to be. I believe that in today's world this new thing is desperately needed and that, as we partner with him, God is going to do something special among us. That is, at its heart, why I'm excited about The Table @ Covenant Church.

Comments for this post are now off.