Gathering Around the Table: Building Fellowship Through Community Sundays

What do we do? What is our purpose? Who are we? These questions get asked about the Fellowship a lot, by visitors, strangers in the grocery store, and by our own members. There are many answers to these questions. But one that I keep coming back to is that we are a community. A community that strives to make the world a better place, seek truth, welcome everyone, and so much more. But everything we do and strive for, we do together. This is a key piece to any religious institution. 

This past year, I have seen this community grow, not just in the addition of new families, but bonds among our members have been strengthened. I have heard stories of people who joined during Covid (or even before) finally feeling like they were part of our community, that they understood how things worked (something I’m still figuring out), that they knew people’s names. Older folks have gotten to know our younger members. Parents have felt like they have a space where they can raise their children in a way that aligns with their values. 

I attribute a lot of this to the wonderful people we have in our community who have embraced changes and new opportunities to build community. I credit staff who work hard together to address the many needs of our diverse community. And I think the addition of the Gateways Center, especially Chu Family Hall is a key part of this. 

Before the addition, we could not gather together as one. We would take our coffee hour treats and either contend with the echo of the Terrace Room or find a room with just a few other folks we probably already knew. In Chu Hall, we can be together, seeing each other; seeing the kids playing together on the stage, admiring the seemingly random collections of people sitting together around the tables. Or folks catching up around generous spreads of food. 

So let’s keep it up!

Seeing the success of sharing a meal together at the Annual Picnic, Seder Service, Ingathering, or any given Sunday, it is clear to me that we can continue to build on that community development. 

"The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community, from the mere animal biology to an act of culture."

― Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

In that spirit, once a month we are going to forgo our regular after-service programming, and come together over a meal for a Community Sunday, creating a 'ritual of family and community'. On these days we will gather in Chu Hall, share some delicious food and get to know each other, building our community. But as every Thanksgiving Day cook knows, we need some help. Our Green Aprons are going to spearhead the food side of our time together. But if you want to help out in the kitchen, email hospitality@muuf.org. We can always use another set of hands. 

Though the main focus of these days is organic and natural conversation, we sometimes need some help or prompts. So we need a few folks to help brainstorm and share different ideas to spark conversation. Table Conversation Cards, Intentional Seating, and People Bingo are some of the ideas we are thinking of. But if you have any ideas to promote community building, please reach out to Nick.

The dates for our Community dates this year are:

1. September 14th - Ingathering

2. October 5th

3. November 9th

4. November 30th

5. December 21st

6. January 18th

7. February 15th

8. March 29th

9. April 5th - Easter

10. May 3rd - 

11. June 7th - Annual Meeting

12. June 14th - End of the Year Picnic

"In the end, the culture we create comes down to the foods we share."

– Anthony Bourdain