Stretch Up, Stretch In, Stretch out
January started with lots of questions. Amidst some changes, many of us wondered what God’s plan might be for the Table in 2026.
Here’s what I think we’ve noticed so far: The Table is growing. Not just numerically, but we’re growing inward, upward, and outward.
We don’t own the idea of growing inwards, upwards, and outwards. As part of a larger family tree in the family of God, and being part of the same branch as a number of other outside-the-box groups and congregations, we’ve been learning a lot from Trinitas Communities on Mission. Part of that learning has been a reminder that we should always be assessing growth by how we’re reaching inwards (loving each other well, with a deep family-type love), upwards (through worship and drawing closer to God), and outwards (loving the people outside of our walls, including those who might not know Jesus yet, well).
Growing inward has always come fairly easy for us. As a smaller church, no one goes unnoticed. It’s our goal that no one spends a holiday alone, no one goes through a major life stress without casseroles, and everyone knows that they are loved and there’s nothing they can do about it. In late December and throughout January of this year, we noticed more and more people in our congregation taking the initiative to include, invite, and spend time with one another beyond the usual church-sanctioned get-togethers. We’ve had people put together a bonfire night at their home, a video scavenger hunt at the park for our kids and teens, multiple coffee and brunch meet-ups, and an impromptu Superbowl party. There were casseroles delivered following a surgery, and plans percolating to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our newest church baby in March! With the weather warming up and days getting slightly longer, we’ve moved our worship gatherings to Skyline Park, which has given us increased opportunities for conversation and fellowship over a relaxed and more spread-out dinner time.
Growing upward together builds from the trust we’ve built while growing inward together. With time, we’re feeling more and more comfortable sharing what God’s doing in our lives, expressing ourselves in worship, and praying corporately. From now until Easter, we are spending time in the Gospel of John, tracing the signs that point to the divinity of Jesus and why it matters. The women have restarted our once-a-month prayer gathering, and a new team has been formed to help teach our children the story of God in ways they can understand.
Growing outward can be challenging for house churches. Maybe because resources feel more limited. Or because they are doing such a great job loving those inside the group that it can be easy to forget God’s call for us to love broader. But, one of the benefits of our church model is that energy and funds used to support a building can be used to enrich our neighborhoods instead. One of the ways we have done that this month is by visiting two of our local public elementary schools to stock their staff lounges with fizzy drinks and sweet and salty snacks. Happy teachers mean happy kids, and happy kids make better communities. It all starts with snacks! This gave us an opportunity to interact with staff and share a little about The Table’s mission.
In addition to this, some of our congregation members have opted to sign up for a webinar put out by the Church of the Nazarene on caring for our immigrant neighbors. Some have been reading Thin Places: Six Postures for Creating and Practicing Missional Community by Jon Huckins (Author), Rob Yackley, which is all about living life with this radically hospitable posture. Some people in our group have joined a food distribution project with one of our sister churches, Journey of Grace. And others are planning a trip to Feed My Starving Children together later this month.
We are looking forward to a great rest of the month this February, with weekly worship at Skyline Park on Sundays and numerous planned and spontaneous opportunities to share life together.
If you’re interested in learning more about how you can learn about or join us at The Table, or would like to give to help support what we do
In loving God, each other, and the community around us better, check out our website at thetablenaz.church, or find us on Facebook at The Table: A House Church Network and Insta at thetable.naz. We always have room for one more chair at The Table and you can sit with us!
