A new church in a new way.
Both Jesus himself and the early church were known for sharing meals with all sorts of people. Long before there were stone churches and soaring cathedrals where a sermon was preached from a pulpit, there were simple dinner tables where people proclaimed and showed God’s love to one another. This is one of the major ways that the Christian faith spread, as people kept returning to the table, saying "there’s really something to all this!”
Our hope in launching the Hill Top Table is to replicate this kind of environment here in Allentown, as we join together for a meal and to share our thoughts and experiences of life, searching, doubt, and faith with one another. If you’ve got zero interest in setting foot in church on a Sunday morning, if you’ve tried all that and set it aside, or if you don’t even know what you believe. . . this is for you.
This is not a traditional community dinner: we hope you will not eat in anonymity and go home, though of course you are welcome to come and see what we’ve got going on. Here, we are seeking to build a community of people who want to grow together in loving ourselves and our neighbors, and exploring God’s role in our own lives.
The Hill Top Table is an inclusive, affirming space: people of all races, ages, genders, abilities, and sexualities are welcomed and valued here. Kids and families, too, are invited to come. Gluten-free or vegetarian? Yep, there’s a place for you. Our greatest commandments when we meet are simple ones as we seek to welcome all people: be kind to one another, and don’t be a jerk.
We serve dinner (free, obviously!) on the first Friday of each month at 6:00pm at the Allentown Senior Center, in the lower level of Hill Top United Methodist Church. We hope you will give it a try.
Look, we don’t totally know what to expect yet either! But come for the food, and see if you just might find a reason to come back.
