OUR STORY
We began meeting as an online church on Sunday, August 16, 2020 when The Lord cleared a path for us to do so. On October 3, 2021 we expanded our gatherings for worship to include both an in-person gathering at Madison Middle School in Madison, Ohio alongside our active online community. We eventually settled in to a wonderful rhythm of gathering online-only most weeks and hybrid gatherings for worship one Sunday each month.
We are made up of people from northern Ohio as well as many other parts of Ohio, New York, Virginia, Georgia, and Canada so far. Since so many of us haven’t met face-to-face, we spend as much time as we can in the comments section of our live meetings for worship as well as in online book studies, video seminars, and any other way we can stay connected!
One of the most significant motivating factors for The Open Table to exist in the first place, and to continue to do so, is the consistent and blatant disregard for and abuse of people in the lgbtq+ community, people of color, women, and many other marginalized people at the hands of religious people and institutions. Because so many of us have been wounded by, gate-kept, gaslit, and straight-up excluded from many local parishes and congregations, Open Table Friends Church explicitly AFFIRMS and CELEBRATES people who haven’t yet found a safe group to worship with. This is an important part of our story and a significant part of who we are.
If you love Jesus but have been wounded by the church, or if you have determined to love people without conditions, you are welcome to take some time to get to know us. Trust is a big struggle for many of us, and we don’t expect that you will immediately feel safe among us. Our hope, however, is that in time you will find out that there truly is a place at the table for you!
OUR MISSION
We exist as an inclusive, affirming, and innovative community of faith who follow Jesus' example of welcoming everyone to the table.
OUR VISION
We desire that you will find FAITH among us,
regardless of where your faith has taken you.
We desire that you will find HOPE among us,
regardless of how much or how little you have right now.
We desire that you find RESTORATION among us,
no matter where you've experienced brokenness.
We desire that you will find LOVE among us.
Period.
OUR CORE VALUES
We’re about Jesus.
We’re about people.
We’re about love.
We’re about inclusion.
We’re about community.
We’re about justice.
We’re about service.
We’re about kindness.
We’re about learning.
We’re about fun.