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Seeds of Faith & Tables of Grace: A November Update

This month brings incredible excitement as we see our community outreach efforts paying off in tangible, life-changing ways. As we move closer to our full launch in January, it is becoming increasingly clear that our new advertising efforts and physical presence are reaching exactly the people we are called to serve.

Finding Community in Unexpected Ways We witnessed the power of invitation at our recent community dinner. Thanks to our spots on the Shine 104.9 Community Calendar, we welcomed several first-time guests. One of these guests didn’t just come to eat; when we invited those interested in music or arts to connect with our team, she immediately jumped in to sing with the worship team for the rest of the evening!

This is a huge win for us. It demonstrates that we are successfully creating a space where new people feel empowered to participate and belong from day one.

A Place for the Hurting That same evening, we saw just how vital our physical presence is in the neighborhood. Our new sidewalk signs caught the eye of a woman who later shared she was having "one of the hardest days" of her life. She admitted that nothing was going right and she was "thinking of going to bed without eating" until she saw our sign and turned in.

Over dinner, she opened up about a complex family situation involving her daughter and grandchild. Her primary question was simple but heavy: Would her daughter be allowed in our church?

It was a privilege to assure her that her daughter would be welcome at our tables without judgment. We shared that while we speak biblical truth, we are all sinners in need of grace. It is our calling to plant and water the seed of faith, trusting the Holy Spirit to do the work of transformation in people’s lives.

Wisdom from the Summit I recently returned from the Dinner Church Summit in Pittsburgh, PA, with a notebook full of practical wisdom and proven best practices.

We are implementing new tools for discipleship, including specific questions designed to foster deeper table conversations after the Jesus Story each week. We are also structuring our seating to have consistent table leaders, naturally creating a "small group" atmosphere that fosters trust and openness.

Ministry Updates & Answers to Prayer

  • Hope Grant: We are thrilled to announce that we received the full grant amount requested! This is a massive answer to prayer that will propel our ministry forward.

  • Student Ministry: Our student-led group at Garry Middle School has officially launched. While the team is running into multiple challenges regarding school regulations, they are persevering. The first meeting saw eight students in attendance—please keep this budding ministry in your prayers.

  • Launch Team: Our team continues to step up to solve practical challenges, from securing donations for kitchen equipment to deep cleaning our facility.

Join Us at the Table We are seeing our vision work, and we now have even more practical tools to do it well. As we head toward our full launch in January, we are looking for volunteers who have a heart to serve out the Great Commission, specifically focusing on those with whom Jesus spent most of His time.

If you are ready to help us set the table for our community, please reach out or join us at our next gathering.