Gathering around a table to share a meal has always been a top priority to my grandma. She started Sunday lunches when I was in elementary school, and we continue them to this day. Each Sunday, my family from across the Houston area gather to catch up, discuss the sermons we heard that morning, and start our week off together. Over the years, I’ve realized just how important the act of gathering together and sharing a meal is to growing and continuing relationships of all kinds.
When my Adult Bible Community started our Tuesday night dinner and Bible study, I knew I had to be a part of it. Consistently gathering together to share food and life has moved us from acquaintances to 2:00 AM friends. Learning about each other’s lives, each other’s history, and each other’s cooking abilities has deepened our community and relationships within it. On these nights we laugh at funny stories people have from their week. We discuss prayer requests people might have and difficulties they are facing, and we become more and more the family of God to each other.
In recent years, I started attending Wednesday night Midtown Midweek Fellowship Supper before Book Club and once again realized the importance of gathering around a table. Wednesday night dinners bring intergenerational conversation and community, many times with people I wouldn’t cross paths with in my regular Sunday church routine. This opportunity to gather and share a meal with others has brought new friends into my life, helped me recognize prayer needs others in the church have, and helped broaden my community at South Main.
There is something uniquely special about gathering with family, friends, and communities around a table that enriches relationships and creates spaces to grow and learn more about people in your life.
