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08/28

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Food, Team Spirit and an Open Seat

By the Ginghamsburg Communication Team

Ginghamsburg’s Fifth Sunday Carry-In returns this Sunday, August 30, bringing an estimated 120–130 people to the Tipp City Campus Avenue for lunch, conversation and the chance to brag about your favorite team. Team definition optional. (Keep reading. We’ll explain.)

Lunch begins at 11:45am, following the 10:30am worship celebration. This month’s theme is “Rep Your Team,” and guests are encouraged to wear a favorite team shirt, jersey or colors. Food can be dropped off at the Avenue before worship.

The church provides beverages, paper goods and plenty of fried chicken. The rest of the meal comes from the congregation.

Pastor Fitz, Ginghamsburg’s Pastor of Discipleship, is making a special trip to Kroger in Piqua Sunday morning to pick up the chicken after the Troy and Vandalia stores changed their kitchen hours. The order costs close to $150.

“That’s a lot of chicken,” Fitz said.

It is also more chicken than Ginghamsburg provided at the last carry-in, when the supply disappeared quickly. Fitz believes part of the problem was simple: not enough other food arrived to share.

The chicken, he said, is intended to supplement the meal rather than become the meal itself.

Everyone is invited to stay for lunch whether they bring food or not. Those who are able, however, are encouraged to bring enough to share generously. To help create a balanced buffet, organizers suggest side dishes for last names beginning A–H, desserts for I–Q and main dishes for R–Z.

The reminder is intentional. Carry-ins require people to plan ahead, and it’s easy to arrive for worship Sunday morning before remembering there was supposed to be a casserole, crockpot or dessert in the car.

For those who do remember, Carolyn Pierce’s life group handles the next step. Ginghamsburg life groups typically rotate hospitality responsibilities for the carry-ins. This Sunday, Pierce’s group collects dishes before worship, arranges the buffet, helps during the meal and stays afterward for cleanup.

That volunteer system has helped sustain the gatherings for roughly three years.

Rebuilding community after isolation

Ginghamsburg began the Fifth Sunday Carry-In while emerging from the extended isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Church leaders saw a need to intentionally rebuild relationships that had been interrupted and create opportunities for people to spend time together beyond the worship hour.

Because the calendar normally includes only a handful of fifth Sundays each year—and some are displaced by major holidays such as Thanksgiving or Christmas—the meals happen only a few times annually.

Their purpose, Fitz said, is to help make a large church feel smaller.

A church Ginghamsburg’s size offers plenty of opportunities to participate, but size can also make it easy for people to remain anonymous. Someone can attend worship regularly and still know very little about the people sitting nearby.

The carry-in places those same people around a table.

“You can tell people appreciate it because of the good vibes and positive energy,” Fitz said. “It doesn’t feel like drudgery.”

Fitz is considering ways to encourage even more mixing this Sunday. Ideas have included drawing table numbers at the door or organizing tables around hometowns or favorite teams. No matter the final setup, the goal is not to separate people from their friends but to encourage them to widen the circle.

One suggested challenge is to learn three new names during lunch and discover one interesting fact about each person’s favorite “team.”

The question is intentionally broad. A team might mean the Bengals, Buckeyes or Reds. It could just as easily lead to a story about a grandchild’s soccer team, coworkers, a neighborhood or another group of people who matter.

That kind of conversation is central to why Ginghamsburg continues hosting the meals.

For Fitz, Christian community requires more than sharing a room on Sunday mornings. Loving people becomes much more tangible once their names, stories and experiences are known. The table offers a simple setting where those connections can begin.

It also reflects a pattern seen throughout the life of Jesus, who repeatedly shared meals with friends, strangers and people who did not always fit comfortably together. Around a table, differences do not necessarily disappear, but people have an opportunity to encounter one another as people rather than categories.

For anyone who finds that intimidating, Fitz offers an even simpler reason to stay.

“In the very least, it’s an invitation to eat free food!” he said.

He also has a theory about why meals work so well.

“Get someone’s mouth moving by eating and eventually that mouth will talk,” Fitz said. “I’m not sure if there’s any science behind that, but it’s impossible to not talk when you’re eating with people.”

For a gathering created in response to isolation, that may be evidence enough.

The Fifth Sunday Carry-In gives Ginghamsburg a few hours each year to turn a large room full of familiar faces into people who actually know one another. Fried chicken may help get everyone to the table, but the meal is ultimately about what happens once they sit down.

Fifth Sunday Carry-In

Sunday, August 30, 11:45am

Tipp City Campus Avenue

Drop food off at the Avenue before the 10:30am worship celebration.

A–H: Side dish

I–Q: Dessert

R–Z: Main dish

Ginghamsburg provides fried chicken, beverages and paper goods.

New Path Food Drive next week – Sunday, September 6 is the date of our next food drive. New Path is putting out an urgent plea for macaroni & cheese, canned vegetables and dry cat food. If you have room in your grocery cart this week, grab a few of these items and drop them off at the donation bin next Sunday morning.

Student Ministry potluck THIS Saturday – Student Ministry families are getting together at the Kyle Park Sports Pavilion to celebrate the start of the school year and the return of YG! We'll provide the main dish and drinks, you provide your favorite side dish or dessert to share. The fun starts at 12:30pm.

Here are more highlights from around campus...

Blitz is BACK! – The best party in the Midwest for kids in grades 3-5 returns Friday, September 18! Kids can play sports, dance, make crafts and hang out in a safe space made just for them. Cost is $9 and includes dinner. Bring extra money for snacks. Register here and pay online or at the door.

Midweek returns September 9 – Kids Club, YG and some great adult programming all return on Wednesday, September 9. Head to ginghamsburg.org/events to see what's on the horizon.

Rooted returns September 9 – The Rooted experience is a 10-week small-group discipleship resource that inspires questions, conversations, and experiences designed to connect people to God, the Church, and their purpose. Cost of materials is $35. Register at ginghamsburg.org/classes. If you have any questions please email Pastor Fitz at mfitzpatrick@ginghamsburg.org.

More adult classes this fall – There are plenty of other classes this fall besides Rooted. Head to ginghamsburg.org/classes for the complete list and how to take part.

Invite Others To The Table.

When people are looking for hope, healing, or a place to belong, they often start with a simple online search. One easy way to invite someone to Ginghamsburg is to share your experience in an online review.

Share your story—what you’ve found here, who you’ve met, and how Jesus has made a difference in your life.

ginghamsburg.org