We are restarting our Fellowship Meal this Sunday after a renovation to paint the gym and refinish the floor. Whether or not you are new to our Fellowship Meal, I want you to scan this webpage (https://www.fairviewbaptistchurch.ca/fellowship-meal/) to acquaint yourself with our shared meal on Sundays so that you are prepared with what you need to bring.
Beyond the reminders already listed on that page, I want to remind you of a few things.
First, the purpose of the meal is fellowship.[1] Food is not the goal but facilitates it. The Fellowship Meal is a time is for conversation which includes welcoming visitors, reconnecting with friends, exhorting and encouraging brothers and sisters, and discussing Christ and his word. Lunch is the setting. Fellowship is the substance.
Success is not measured by the variety or amount of food you consumed but in meaningful conversations that encouraged you and others to trust and obey Christ more.
Second, the Fellowship Meal provides an opportunity for service. I’m not a fan of the word volunteer but prefer the biblical term of “servants.” Servant is a fitting description of the many people involved in setting up and cleaning up the lunch. Like most ministries, the bulk of the workload can fall on the shoulders of a few.
As we resume our meal, we should all remember that service is sacrifice and worship (Rom 12:1). Everyone is busy. Everyone has limitations. Everyone has valid reasons why they can’t right now. But the ones who serve go above and beyond to give themselves to the service of the body.
The Fellowship Lunch should not be facilitated by a few servants meeting the needs of the many. This is not a job for “them.” The Fellowship Lunch is an “us” thing. We should all help. We should all serve. We should all fellowship. We should all clean up. Then we all depart. When we notice something lacking, we should step in to help rather than add another task to the ones already serving.
We have roughly 200 people stay for the potluck every Sunday. This is a big job. If that load is not shared, it will crush the few burdened by the weight. Let’s all be servant-minded.
Third, the Fellowship Meal provides an opportunity for discipleship. Children in our congregation need to be taught to learn restraint and respect. Parents, you must teach your children how to behave in a communal meal.
Men, you must lead by example. I’ve seen food scarce, a long line, and men at the front with loaded plates. This is a heart of sin on display and a missed opportunity for discipleship and growth. I’ve also seen work needing to be done when people are leaving or continue speaking with people they speak with every week. This is selfishness on display. Again, this is an opportunity for discipleship and growth. We don’t want a fellowship meal to be a display of sin, but an opportunity to display and teach true discipleship—a heart of service that discerns the needs of those around us.
Fourth, a note on dietary needs. With so many food allergies of varying kinds and varying degrees, it must be the responsibility of those who have allergies to accommodate their own food needs. There is no solution that will accommodate everyone. For some, this may mean they bring their own food and cannot take from the communal food. For others, this means they must be very careful in their selection. Each family or individual must exercise responsibility for their own needs while seeking to serve others.
There is a ditch we can fall into when we talk about serving. We can read passages about serving others and then expect others to accommodate our needs. We read the Bible to say, “They must serve me.” We think we have a biblical basis for others to serve us. But we cannot reverse the Golden Rule and expect from others what we would like for ourselves.
Conclusion
It is my desire to see the Fellowship Meal as an important ministry that fosters warmth, hospitality, and service. I do not want to see the meal become a burden but a blessing. Let us not fall into the error of the Corinthians where their weekly meal was a display of their selfishness and sin. Let us rather see Christ formed in us as we speak with one another and serve one another.
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).
[1] Fellowship is a word describing close association where people share mutual interests. Christian fellowship describes close relationships among believers who love Christ and want to see him honored above all.