The Need for the Table

Griggs Members Eating Together on a Summer Wednesday Night. All photos by IsaacCropsey.com

How we started eating together each week through the summer months

Around our third or fourth year of church revitalization, we started what we now call Griggs Groups—small gatherings of men and women who meet to talk about the Christian life and pray for one another.

Very quickly, these groups replaced our Wednesday night service, where they remain today. We all meet in the sanctuary for a couple of songs and then spread out across the building for group time.

At first, things were a little awkward—like any new group setting can be—but the growth that came from these gatherings was undeniable. They helped us spiritually in ways we didn’t expect and became far more meaningful than we imagined.

After a couple of years, we decided to pause Griggs Groups during the summer. Attendance tends to fluctuate that time of year as people tend to travel more while their kids are out of school, making it difficult for group leaders to plan. So we thought we’d return to a traditional Wednesday night service until fall.

Not everyone liked the idea. Some had grown deeply through their group and didn’t want to take a break. For them, the thought of only doing groups nine months out of the year felt like something vital was missing.

That summer showed us just how much we needed community. We’d always known it was important, but we didn’t realize how much until it was gone.

In Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote,

“The Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged; for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth.”

After several people mentioned missing their groups, our Griggs Groups Director, Kaitlyn Matthews, came up with a compromise. We’d keep our summer worship services, but afterward, a small group of young adults would meet in Rogers House to go through the Gospel of Mark together. If you wanted to eat, you could grab takeout and bring it with you.

That little group grew fast. More people started attending, and before long, everyone was asking about “the group that eats together after the service.” Eventually, I told Kaitlyn, “We’re going to have to open this up to the whole church.”

And we did.

The teaching portion of those evenings reintegrated back into our summer Wednesday night services, where we began intentional summer preaching series taught by different men from our congregation. The meal portion turned from a “BYO Fast Food” situation into a churchwide potluck, hosted each week by a different small group.

It was a hit. It met our need for community, and another deep need—the need for a seat at the table—whcih is a visible reminder of what’s happening spiritually when we’re in community.  

Bonhoeffer also wrote,

“At table we are to receive the visible, daily proof of God’s goodness with thanksgiving. Thus the table fellowship becomes a sign of the new community that has been created in Jesus Christ.”

Griggs Members Serving One Another.

That summer, Rogers House was full every Wednesday night. The next year, we decided to plan for it intentionally. Each Griggs Group took one week to prepare and serve dinner for the whole church. We even added outdoor seating because more than 60 people were staying after to eat together.

It soon stopped feeling like a “break” from groups and more like a different expression of the same thing—fellowship, encouragement, and care for one another.

I knew the Lord had met our need when one member called the dinners his “big small group.”

There’s something powerful about the whole church eating together after worshiping together. It’s a gift from heaven administered by the Holy Spirit.

And it’s not just a gift for those who eat, but also for those who serve. Preparing food for your church family after serving them in worship and preaching is a simple and beautiful way of following Jesus, who taught us to care for one another both physically and spiritually.

The feeding of the soul and the feeding of the body belong together. It brings a fullness you can’t quite explain—but you know it when you experience it. And God has allowed us to experience it again and again—each week, each summer, each year.