God has called on Christians over the ages to welcome the stranger, but today our airwaves are filled with a narrative of exclusion and hate. We want to be a community who offers an alternative message–one of compassion and hospitality, in line with the teachings of Jesus. Last Sunday as part of our series on welcome, Rev. Orlando Gallardo, Associate Pastor of Trinity Community Church in Kansas City, KS, shared with us about his own journey as an immigrant in America. In 2012 he received a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) when President Obama signed the executive order, and is currently one of the DREAMers awaiting a response about the status of his application under the current administration. If you weren’t able to be with us, you can listen to his story on our podcast. To borrow from Rev. Orlando’s language, when it comes to welcoming people who are immigrants, “We follow the Law of Love.”

This past Sunday we welcomed Rabbi Doug Alpert, Mahnaz Shabbir, Sergio Moreno, and Diane Burkholder to speak from their various religious and secular traditions about how we can collectively build a more inclusive welcome. We were only able to scratch the surface on this complex topic, but our hope is to turn the words spoken that night into concrete action. The community of God’s people is a society that liberates instead of oppresses, and the beauty of Christian discipleship is that we get to join in the liberating work of making peace anywhere we see violence, be it structural or personal. If you weren’t able to make to our gathering, be sure to check out the podcast and resource sheet! Mahnaz Shabbir also shared a couple of resources: “Muslim in the Metro Fact Sheet” and “Facts about Islam” from the Crescent Peace Society.

On Sunday, we were joined by Chris Logan, a local pastor at Keystone UMC in Waldo. We had a great discussion about why Sunday mornings at 11am are still one of the most segregated hours in America. Unfortunately, there were some technical difficulties so we are unable to share the audio with you, but we do have the next best thing – Chris’ transcript. I hope Chris’ words impact you as much as it did us on Sunday night, and be sure to check out an audio interview we did with Chris shortly after the Sunday’s gathering. You can listen here.

On Palm Sunday, Nick Pickrell, Curator of The Open Table, spoke about the hidden expectations many in the parading crowds had of Jesus during his entry into Jerusalem. Jesus didn’t meet those expectations so many ended up abandoning Jesus and joining in the chorus of voices shouting to crucify him.

At our latest gathering, Andy Garcia-Ruse, MA, LCPC and Treatment Consultant for the KC Region of American Addiction Centers, led us in a beautiful question and answer time about how we can walk alongside people we love who are experiencing addiction.

For our gathering on Feb. 12, we had as our conversation partner Merritt Benz, LCSW and Owner/Director of the Bedford Therapy Group here in Kansas City. She has a lot of wisdom and experience in leading people in complicated conversations, and we asked her to help us with the questions, “How do people struggling with addiction find hope and healing instead of shame? How do faith communities help or hinder that process?”

We had a great conversation about addiction and treatment options on Sunday. If you weren’t able to make it to the gathering, you can listen online here. As we were wrapping up, we asked everyone to share any resources they had for addiction treatment. Below is a list of what was compiled. Join us for our final two installments in our addiction series, and stay tuned for some additional gatherings related to this topic.

This month The Open Table is beginning an ongoing small group gathering for adults who would like to explore or deepen their spiritual practices and build community. It’s called “The Way Is Made by Walking” or just “The Way”. The group will meet on the the third Sundays of the month from 2:00-3:30 p.m., either at Second Presbyterian Church or as a field trip to another space. Each time we’ll engage in prayer, scripture, conversation, and a workshop time so we can both reflect on the practices and try them out! For those who wish to continue the practice throughout the month, resources will be provided for doing so in creative ways. We realize spiritual growth comes gradually and is best done alone and in community, so we’re making room for these things.

Taylor Johnson, a local assistant professor, PhD student and addiction counselor, facilitated a conversation with us about different types of addiction as well as how the brain functions in the midst of the addiction cycle. It was a fascinating discussion that can be listened to here.

During this Advent season, we reflect on the hope that is to come through Christ’s birth while remembering the feeling of hopelessness that exists for many during this season. On December 11th, Emily Bartlett, a leader at The Open Table, led us in a beautiful meditation that we’d like to share with you.

Before beginning the meditation, you may want to prepare yourself by taking some deep breaths or by taking a moment to just look at these images of light in the darkness, the northern lights.

The Open Table has been around for 1 1/2 years now, and we are loving how this community is changing how we do church. Through social justice forums, warm meals, service projects, thoughtful conversations and progressive Christian teaching, we are forging a new path for how Christianity can look in the 21st century. Help us build on the momentum of the first 1 1/2 years by supporting us through financial giving and volunteering.

As Christians, we are called to be peacemakers but often times lack the skill set to diffuse conflict when potentially violent situations occur. On Sunday, 150 people gathered together to discuss how to be allies to people of color as instances of hate speech and violence increase all over the country. We hosted three workshops that explored different strategies to disrupt racism. Below are some links to articles, books, and local organizations for folks who would like to take a step to #endwhitesilence and be a peacemaker in today’s political climate.

With the results of the election coming in and the rise in hate speech and violence, we recognize that this is a very disorienting time for many. As a response to all this we held a night devoted to sharing stories of orientation and inspiration; stories that inspire and transform us; stories that lead us in new directions. Below are the pieces of writing that inspired three of our storytellers. Also, listen to the recording of their stories here.

On Sunday, Eric Garbison from Cherith Brook Catholic Worker discussed four distinct kinds of politics. This is especially helpful as we generally only view politics through the lens of policy and voting. The four political approaches were partisan & electoral, culture wars, political theology, and emergent tradition. All four engage the world differently and we were able to discuss briefly some of those differences. It was a great night where our goal was to spark the imagination of the church to be political again, not solely by engaging with the state but by also reclaiming its own power to organize around a different set of values that serve as a public witness to the corruption of the empire. To listen to our discussion, go here! Please excuse the noise in the audio on this one.

On Sunday, Dr. David May helped us understand the political reality of the first century world. He spoke of the political nature of Jesus’ parables, teachings and actions. It was a very helpful primer to help us begin to do the hard work of contextualizing Jesus’ actions for today’s world. If you missed our gathering, check it out on our new podcast feed here.

On Sunday, we had a great introductory conversation about the polarizing nature of politics. We discussed why we get so passionate about this subject in particular, and then discussed the contrasts between the US political system and the kingdom of God. To listen in on parts of our discussion, tune in on our newly released podcast channel. Just follow the link to subscribe:

The community of God is one marked by hospitality, generosity, inclusion, peace, and love. The vision for this community compels us, it excites us and we can’t help but drop everything and get involved. The Open Table, since its inception, has sought to embody this. We hope to create a community of substance, where we discuss meaningful issues and offer practical hospitality to those on the margins. Through our shared meals and lively discussions, we begin to live out the very things we believe in. We begin to form a radically reconciled community, where our divisions melt away and no one is in need.

Our last gathering on June 12 was difficult. Earlier that morning, a man took the lives of nearly 50 people and injured many more at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. This act of violence was heartbreaking and we were angry that someone would target those who are LGBTQ. It was hard to put words to our feelings that day, but the prayers of our quarterly Taizé service seemed to be especially fitting: “Come and fill our hearts with your peace…”

At our last gathering, Kristy Childs, founder of Veronica’s Voice, shared her powerful story with us.  She is a survivor of sexual exploitation and now runs a survivor led organization that works with women who have experienced sexual exploitation.  Below are some resources she wished to share for those who would like to know more about this issue and would like to advocate for better policies.

On Sunday, we welcomed Darryl Burton back to The Open Table to talk about his story of wrongful conviction and eventual release 24 years later.  It was a powerful discussion about anger, determination, patience and salvation.  If you haven’t had the chance to hear Darryl’s story, below is an excerpt from his website.  For more info on Darryl, visit darrylburton.org.