Open Table celebrates 18 years of welcome
A birthday cake marks Open Table Liverpool's 18th anniversary as people from across the Open Table Network gather to celebrate at St Bride's Church. PHOTO: Beth Powell.
OPEN TABLE marked its 18th birthday on Sunday 21st June as around 85 people gathered at St Bride's Church, Liverpool, and online to celebrate the growth of the movement from a single community into a network of communities across England and Wales.
Representatives from around a quarter of those communities joined the celebrations, alongside people from churches interested in exploring the possibility of hosting an Open Table community in their own context.
The thanksgiving service was led by Revd Steve Chalke MBE, founder of Oasis Charitable Trust, who preached on Jesus' parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:12–24). Reflecting on Open Table's coming of age, he challenged those gathered to continue embodying Christ's radically inclusive welcome:
WATCH: A celebration of 18 years of Open Table in four minutes, charting the journey from one worshipping community in Liverpool to a growing movement of welcome, belonging and hope.
‘You are 18 today. Adulthood is yours. Your name tells you who you need to be. An open table for everyone.’
Revd Steve Chalke MBE preaches on Jesus' parable of the Great Banquet, challenging Open Table to continue embodying Christ's radically inclusive welcome. PHOTO: Beth Powell
Open Table began at St Bride's Church, Liverpool, in June 2008, when six people gathered with a vision to create a regular communion service where LGBTQIA+ people could encounter welcome, belonging and spirituality. Since 2015, the Open Table Network has supported the development of 50 communities, with 37 currently meeting across England and Wales.
Drawing on a story told by the late New Testament scholar Fred Craddock, Steve recalled a restaurant owner in Tennessee during the era of racial segregation. The law required a curtain to separate Black and White diners. Choosing to remove the curtain meant risking the family business, but keeping it in place meant accepting injustice. Steve used the story to encourage Open Table to continue building communities where everyone can find belonging and where barriers to inclusion are courageously dismantled:
‘If I take down the curtain, I'll lose my business. But if I leave it up, I'll lose my soul.’
The celebration included worship, communion, refreshments (including rainbow cake!) and a special slideshow charting Open Table's journey from one community in Liverpool to a growing network across England and Wales.
If you couldn't join us, or would simply like to revisit the celebration, you can:
READ our blog adaptation of Steve's sermon, ‘If we leave the curtain up, we lose our soul’.
