Introducing: Table Groups

What follows here is based on a letter that Fr. Jon Ziegler sent out to the church introducing Table Groups:

Last September, I started doing something that I had been waiting four years to do. I gathered a group of people in our living room every week for three months and shared with them my heart for our church and my vision for discipleship, leadership and spiritual growth.

What was the goal? That some of them would be ready by February 2020 to lead others and launch (and relaunch) small groups in our church.

In the past we’ve called our small groups Community Groups, but we are now relaunching these groups with a renewed vision and for the first time ever—with leaders that have been trained in Rez’s vision of discipleship and spiritual formation.

We are calling these groups Table Groups. And I would like you to prayerfully consider signing up for a Table Group.

The word table evokes hospitality, community, and family. It also reminds us that what happens in our groups during the week are an extension of what happens at the Lord’s Table on Sunday.

In the eucharist we receive the body of Christ so that we might become the Body of Christ for the sake of the world.

Table Groups continue this work. Table Groups help us to grow into the image of Christ—to be transformed into his likeness, so that we can become signs of God’s Beauty, Goodness, and Truth.

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Our vision for Table Groups is to help you grow into the image of Christ through creating a community of hospitality, vulnerability, and trust that fosters mutual accountability and deepens relationships.

Our weekly experience of the eucharist (Sunday morning worship) is key for our transformation into Christ-likeness. But we need more than a once-a-week experience to truly grow into all that God has planned for us.

Even if you’re not into sports, you’ve probably heard of the tennis player Serena Williams—one of the greatest athletes of our times. Serena didn’t become Serena by playing tennis once a week and she didn’t do it alone. It took a community of competitors around her, it took a family, and it took coaches who could speak into her game and bring out the best in her, while at the same time helping her name parts of her game that needed improvement.

And it is really similar with spiritual growth and us.

God has destined each and every believer for greatness. You have the potential to radiate Christ’s love and beauty and goodness in ways in which the world has never seen. But it will require “training,” and it will require a group of people who are encouraging you to grow.

For this, we’ll gather at the table—where we will know and be known, pray for and be prayed for, and challenge and by challenged by others. Let’s grow together, into Christ’s likeness, at the table.

You can sign up for a Table Group by clicking here.

Yours in Christ,

Jon+