The Table
An emerging church community committed to
spirited corporate worship, common practices,
table hospitality, and missional action
The Table is envisioned to be a church somewhat like a religious order--an intentional (though dispersed) community that co-exists alongside more conventional congregations. We feel called to revitalize worship, renew faith-filled practices, invigorate table hospitality, and serve the world.
The Table, as a religious order, will invite persons to commit to a core set of shared practices, including daily prayers and daily dwelling in the Scriptures in order to listen for the Spirit's guidance on how to live faithful, fruitful lives in service to the broader community. On a weekly basis we will share in corporate public worship where anyone is welcome and in meals and faith related conversations around tables in various households.
The Table will invite committed participants to join one of four teams focused initially around our core themes: public worship, common practices, table hospitality, and missional action.
Public worship: The Worship Team will design and lead our regular Sunday corporate worship. Our public worship will be characterized by singing, dance, dialogical preaching, reflective spaces, rituals, spoken Scripture, story-telling, conversational engagement with Scripture, drama, use of symbols, art, poetry, and weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper. Corporate worship will be deliberately open to include persons who simply want to come to worship.
Common practices: The Table Order Team will design and guide the Order by teaching and modeling prayer, imaginative engagement with the Bible, meditation, confession, spiritual guidance, simplicity of life, and discernment for daily living.
Table hospitality: The Hospitality Team will facilitate fellowship times around our household tables to build relationships, talk about faith, hear each other¹s stories, celebrate... They will encourage spiritual friendships and compassionate care for those in need.
Missional action: The Missional Action Team will organize by two's and three's to go to specific identified places to "hang out," befriend, be present to persons on their own turf, inviting them into conversations about faith; being available to go with and meet around their tables in restaurants, clubs, malls, neighborhoods--showing God's love with surprising acts of kindness. Invitations can also be given to our tables and worship gatherings as deemed appropriate. The team will engage in active prayer and discernment about where and how to be present.
sws, ngs, September 2006
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