Open Table Project

Does your church have an outreach plan to serve hurting individuals and families in your community outside the four walls of your church? Are you loving hurting people in your community like Jesus loves people?

The MBCH Open Table project may be the perfect fit to equip lay leaders in your church with the knowledge and skills to serve those in need, and to love like Jesus loves.

With the Open Table project, MBCH partners with your church and assists you to identify lay people to serve as a mission leader or mission team, then, MBCH utilizes Open Table University to train and equip your mission leader or mission team. Your mission leader/team will then recruit lay people from within your church that have a heart for hurting people in the community, and want to serve. MBCH will work alongside your mission leader/team to provide 14 hours of training to equip the recruits to form a Table. Once the table is recruited and equipped, MBCH will assist in connecting the table with someone in the community for them to serve and minister to for up to one year. The table begins serving and generally meets one time per week.

Some examples of who your church might serve:

• A youth aging out of foster care
• A woman or young lady at risk for human trafficking
• A man or woman in your church whose spouse has deployed with the military
• A family trying to reunify with their child(ren)
• A hurting individual or family from within your church
• A struggling family at risk of breaking apart or having a child removed

The table operates with lay volunteers supported by MBCH and Open Table. Everyone that serves on the table brings to the table their social networks, education and life experience and can put this social capital to work for the friend or family they are serving. Early in the process the Table helps the friend to develop a life plan, then the Table assists with fulfilling the plan. Along the way, the friend develops new trusting relationships and the leadership skills needed to be successful. Those that serve are impacted by the experience in a powerful way which is a strong discipleship tool for your ministry.

To learn more about the MBCH Open Table Project, please reach out to David Burch, Church Engagement Strategist david.burch@mbch.org or 417-380-1082.

Resources

Download our Open Table Article
Download our Open Table Flyer
Watch our Open Table promo video
Visit Open Table's website