Missional Table

Henry's Update - October 2023

A Missional Table

Hello Friend,

October is off to a great start. Three weeks ago, we began hosting a new small group in our home. It’s an 8-week mealtime missions and evangelism discussion group we created. It’s called The Missional Table.

Did you know that the way the gospel spread across cultures in the first century was at the table? When he walked the earth 2000 years ago, Jesus didn’t come to sit on a throne; he sat at tables with sinners. We all eat, and sharing a meal is a great way to honor guests and listen to their stories. John says this: “Once the first-century Jewish Christians learned to sit at the table with Gentiles (Greeks and Romans), people worldwide quickly heard the good news of Jesus Christ.”

John says anyone can lead The Missional Table in their home, dorm, break room, lunchroom, etc. It’s what we often do in our home, so we find it easy. I think you will too. Just invite a few friends and acquaintances to join you for simple mealtimes. John created a slide deck with all the instructions, including suggested weekly menus and discussion questions. Each week, the menu changes as the gospel spreads around the world. It began in Jerusalem and spread to Greece and Rome, to Western Europe and the Americas, to Asia and South Africa. We will wrap up the final week with North Africa and back to the Middle East. 

The first gathering menu includes lamb, bean stew, (unleavened) flatbread, olives, dates, and raisins. We chose lamb because it is likely what Jesus and his disciples had at the Last Supper. 

The Missional Table is an 8-week mealtime discussion group you can lead in your home, dorm, or even in a student center in a university anywhere. 

The experience of eating food from different parts of the world helps transport us to that time and place where the gospel spread from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and eventually to you and me.

Discussion topics are also simple. There’s a Bible verse and a few questions. It’s not about having a teaching as much as having a discussion. Every shares Bible verses and stories they have learned. Next week is our fourth mealtime gathering. Everyone (including me!) Is encouraged to share their gospel story. This is great for those who have never done it, but it’s also good for those still unsure to hear about Jesus in an intimate setting. So, the group is not only for Christians; it’s also for neighbors, co-workers, or classmates. Can you think of a few people you might invite?

John continues to meet students on campus at Stockton and Temple University.  He has been visiting Temple four days a month to pray and meet with Mauricio of YWAM Philadelphia and Kaliah, a student.  Kaliah is working with us to see what God has for the campus. She plans to host a Missional Table at the Student Center. John is also meeting with Nick at Stockton. Little by little, the Holy Spirit is moving on college campuses. But John says the darkness on campus is very real. I’m shocked by what professors are doing. John and I pray almost every morning for God on campus. Our prayers are getting intense lately. 

I have been praying with new clients a couple of days a week. I’m watching Jesus lead hurting people into freedom from negative emotions. I’m practiced on John, too, which is drawing us closer to the Lord and each other. Healing damaged emotions requires a willingness to sit in the emotional pain to allow the Lord to show you what He sees. When you invite God to show you the truth about your painful memories, He shows you His heart and compassion for you amid your pain. (Read more about this in a recent blog post John wrote entitled: Healing Nations begins with Families: https://www.blog.ywamconverge.org/p/healing-nations-begins-with-families)

I continue to learn and lean on the Lord as I sit with people experiencing depression, sadness, PTSD, and anger. It is so cool to watch them gain the understanding and freedom they find. God is good to allow us so much opportunity to serve Him and see people experience healing, growth, and connection with God’s plans for their lives.

Please pray for me as I launch this Transformational Prayer Ministry, I want to help husbands and wives and marriages, children and single adults, students and missionaries. If you would like to meet with me for a prayer time, reach out to me with this link: https://www.ywamconverge.org/mary-prayer-counselor

Thank you for your prayers and support for what God has called us to do. 

Love, 

Mary 

For John

Prayer Requests

Please remember us when you pray. Thank you!

• For Justin, Nathan, and Rebecca to receive a fresh experience with Jesus.

• For The Missional Table gathering at our house and other locations, especially colleges.

• For Mary's ministry of Transformational Prayer and for people to find emotional healing

• For our ministry partners to be encouraged to adopt us as their missionaries for stewardship of God's resources.

• Pray for students. God is pouring out His Holy Spirit at Stockton, Philadelphia, and Venezuela.

• For the YWAM circle of University Ministries serving campuses around the world.