Beginning Wednesday, September 9, we will be offering a way for you to love your neighbor by having table fellowship. In case I'm not clear, table fellowship means sharing a meal, eating together, and chowing down with a pal. You know. It's one of the things that make us Baptists.
What does loving your neighbor have to do with table fellowship? The Bible teaches us that we are called to love God and to love others. "Love your neighbor as yourself," Jesus commands us. Here are a few ways that you can love your neighbor on Wednesdays beginning September 9:
1.) Love your neighbor by supporting local businesses.
Pick out a favorite restaurant and get take-out on Wednesday around 5:15 PM. By ordering a to-go meal from a local restaurant, we will be supporting them with our business. Once you've picked up your tasty vittles, bring your food to the church parking lot for dinner. When you arrive at 5:30 PM, you'll find tables set-up in our covered walkway between the MFC and the Education Building. Find a spot at one of our outdoor tables and enjoy the nice breeze and sweet fellowship while you dine!
2.) Love your neighbor by spending time with them.
By choosing to eat take-out with your church family, you'll be choosing to reconnect with friends after a time of separation and distancing. Although we've been able to exchange digital 'fist-bumps' and electronic 'smiles,' it's not been possible for us to see one another as we would have liked. By choosing to dine with us over take-out at our outdoor seating at the church, you'll be putting yourself in a position to love your Christian brothers and sisters safely and responsibly.
3.) Love your neighbor by walking humbly with God.
We'll practice table fellowship together from 5:30 PM until 6:00 PM beginning Wednesday, September 9. For those who have other dinner plans, you can still join us by sitting at one of our tables or setting up your lawn chair in our big outdoor circle. At 6:00 PM, we'll have a time of prayer and Bible lesson. This will be an intergenerational gathering of adults, youth, and children. Our prayer time and Bible lesson will be from 6:00 PM until 6:30 PM. We will be reading Paul's letter to the Church at Philippi during September.
4.) Love your neighbor by walking with them.
'Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina' at dusk in September. Go for a stroll in the cool of the evening in our beautiful downtown after our Bible lesson. Use that time to catch up with a pal or to practice Anam Cara--soul friendship. Love your neighbor by walking around town with them.
5.) Love your neighbor by being the church in a healthy and responsible way.
It is possible for us to be good citizens and good neighbors at the same time. We can choose to be together in a way that minimizes the transmission of germs and maximizes the transmission of love. Think of it this way: If you've been to the store, or eaten at a restaurant, gotten a haircut, or ordered take-out, then you can join your church family at our outdoor gatherings beginning Wednesday, September 9.
Our rhythms and patterns have been dismantled and rearranged these last six months of the pandemic. True to Jesus' words, it's not if a storm comes screaming down upon us, but rather when it will arrive. Those who have built their lives upon the foundation of Jesus' words and teachings will remain standing in the most ferocious of gales. Our church family's testimonies bear witness to this. By re-engaging in the practice of being church this fall, you will be building upon a firm foundation for whatever weather comes our way.
Yes, our mid-week church gatherings will be very different than what we've offered in the past. But we're not going to give up on providing ways for us to be church together.
Besides, loving our neighbor is what we do. And we love our neighbor best when we love together.