K Fam Ministry Team

08/07/2023

Number 5 is on the way!

07/25/2023

Best week of the year!

03/16/2023

Here is our weekly update! Our Table is celebrating St. Patrick's Day this Friday with all kinds of fun Irish foods. We are studying the gospel of John and are in chapter 15. We conclude with a time of singing and prayer. We'd love to see you come and see what the K Fam is up to these days!

While it’s not a traditional Irish greeting, it will get people’s attention at your local pub. To find out what it means, scroll to the bottom of the email.

02/09/2023

Our Table's newsletter. Check it out!

Nothing beats watching the big game with friends. That’s why you’re invited to Our Table (Sunday Edition) to watch the Eagles trounce the Chiefs in Arizona…or vice versa; it doesn’t matter to us.

01/20/2023

Surprise! Our Table isn’t what I thought it was…
TL;DR - We are a meal first and a church second.

My first job was at a truck stop in Connecticut. I worked as a stocker and cashier. One day, the truck stop lost power for whatever reason, and we were all standing in the dark, wondering how to take care of the customers in the store.

I approached my manager and asked if we shouldn't put a sign by the road letting people know that we were without power and they would not be able to make purchases. He did not answer me. Instead, he asked me a straightforward question, “Walter, what are we?” The question took me by surprise, but I knew the answer immediately. It was something he had drilled into his employees during our training. “We are a bathroom,” I replied. At that moment, I was reminded of our primary purpose, and remembering that purpose answered my question before it got asked. Buying drinks and ordering food came secondary to finding a clean restroom on the road to wherever our customers were headed.

As we continue trying to get the word out about Our Table, I have gone about it wrong. In my “marketing,” I still fall victim to the same trappings of other church plants. Logos, slogans, fliers, mailers, a trailer with our name on it…all of these things are wonderful ways of getting the word out about a new church in town, and they are highly effective in getting Christians to show up on a Sunday morning.

Hungry people? Not so much.

Last week I went out and hung up fliers for Our Table. They had our logo on them, our slogan, and a QR code. I bought ad time on Nextdoor that featured, you guessed it, our logo, our slogan, and a link to our website. Guess what happened? That Friday night, we had the smallest group we have ever had. I think God was trying to remind me of what Our Table is. Our Table is not a slick new church plant with a dynamic lead pastor, a killer worship band, and a trailer full of tech. Our Table is a meal hosted by eleven leaders, with a band primarily made up of children, and an intentionally low-tech gathering (though we do have a laptop for playing music).

The more I try to make Our Table into a stereotypical church plant, the less interested in it God seems to be. (Yes, I was wincing as I typed that sentence…)

Here’s the thing. No one passively comes to dinner at your house. I doubt you have ever had someone come over to eat at your table that you did not personally invite. If that happened, and an uninvited guest walked into our homes and started eating our food, most of us would either es**rt the wandering stranger out or call someone to do it for us. If that is the case, why would we expect anyone not personally invited to join us at Our Table? Those who have come without invitation deserve much credit for their bravery.

I wish I had their kind of courage.

I say all this because, after last week, I am convinced that Our Table will not grow because we market it well. Our Table will grow as we lock eyes with individuals and warmly extend an invitation to dinner. That happens when I stop inviting people to a “new kind of church” and start inviting them to sit at my table.

I'll admit that I was surprised by that reminder this week, and I gratefully and humbly pass it along. Our Table is a meal first. It's a church second. As we remember this, many questions we have about the what, why, and how will be answered before they get asked.

We are happy to be a stop on the road to wherever you are headed, yet we’re also okay with being your destination. Either way, there will always be a seat for you at Our Table.

- Walter

01/20/2023

This year, Walter and I will lead a workshop at this conference on behalf of Our Table. Over the years, I have learned so much from Key Ministry. We are so excited to be part of what God’s doing.

This will be a conference you won't want to miss! Save the date and check back for information on tickets, speakers, and more!

12/25/2022

12/01/2022

Not a week goes by, that we are without a story to tell. Our Table prepares meals, people eat, relationships happen, and we hear the stories.

Would you like to hear this week’s story? The church that hosts Our Table has a staff meeting on Tuesday mornings. We brought up a problem that needed a solution. Sometimes, after our Friday night meals, there are leftovers in the fridge that we can’t bear to watch go bad. Who else can we feed? How can we optimize the generosity of others to feed hungry people in Strasburg?

Four hours later, God gave us a clear solution. He gave us widows who would gladly accept a meal for one. Isn’t this just like Jesus? He commanded us to take care of widows, and here He is, bringing them into the light so we can see what He sees.

When my grandmother was in her latter years, she was a recipient of Meals on Wheels. She developed relationships with the volunteers, knew their names and insights into their families, and laughed with them. She invited them into her home every week without hesitation. Who would have thought that the vision God gave us about discipling people around tables would extend to widows around their kitchen tables?

God did. God brought them to us. They were already waiting for a meal, for a gift, for an invitation to the community. When the Holy Spirit is driving the mission, it’s easy. We simply welcome the Spirit and humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord.

Do you know a widow who wants leftovers? We’ve got them. Send us who’s on your heart, and we’ll pack up a meal on Friday night for delivery from Our Table to theirs.

Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, “When did we give you something to eat or drink? (Matthew 25:37 CEV)

And Jesus will answer, “On Friday nights at 6 pm!”

- Kristin

https://mailchi.mp/539d1bfee332/we-feed-hungry-people-5693455?e=[UNIQID]

11/11/2022

Deconstruction or Reformation?

While many were deconstructing their faith during the pandemic, I was deconstructing church.

What I saw during the lockdown was inspiring. The church went digital and found many new ways of ministering to people. While we failed in many regards, there were moments of breakthrough where people found unique and inspiring ways of loving and caring for one another. What made it great, when it managed to be great, was the way that ordinary people were unleashed to share their spiritual gifts.

Pandemic church reminded me that the church functions best when regular, ordinary people are empowered to exercise and exchange their supernatural gifts. So I began asking challenging questions. What if there was a way to recapture the out-of-the-box magic of pandemic church at its best…only without the virus and the lockdown…and maybe add a meal? Well, welcome to Our Table!

As more and more people deconstruct their faith, I keep hearing that their doubts and challenging questions were met with criticism and judgment. It breaks my heart because I know that the church is capable of so much more than that. I have seen the immense grace and mercy that churches can offer people who have lost their way. I know what it’s like to have people stand beside you in the dark.

Our Table is a place where people can ask hard questions. We are not afraid of your doubts. We will walk beside you on your journey, no matter where it ends. Our Table is a safe place to deconstruct in many ways because it’s deconstruction in action. We’re asking hard questions ourselves, and we invite you to come and be a part of the conversation. By extending grace and compassion to one another in this way we could see deconstruction lead the way to a new reformation.

There’s a seat for you at Our Table, and we welcome your questions and your company. See you Friday!

Walter

11/03/2022

11/01/2022

Another great night with friends. We realized afterward that we have been giving out donuts and hot cocoa for 8 years in a row!*

*At the height of the pandemic, we gave out full-size candy bars.

10/30/2022

First Communion at Our Table? ✅ Thanks for joining us Pastor Bob!