What did you do?
St. Paul United Church in Westville received our 100 Tables picnic table in June 2025. From the moment it arrived, it became a gathering place that helped us live out our call to community, welcome, and shared ministry. On the first Sunday we received it, we brought the table into the sanctuary and used it as our Communion Table for the whole congregation. It was a powerful symbol of the open table of Jesus, reminding us that Christ meets us in ordinary places and invites us to sit together as one community.
Later that week, the table was moved outside and became part of the Westville 100 event, a community walk that raised funds for our Food for Focus program. Throughout the day it served as a place for rest, conversation, and connection. Walkers and community members gathered around it to share snacks, encouragement, and stories. It became a small but meaningful hub of hospitality in the middle of a busy and hope-filled day.
For the remainder of the summer, the table sat beneath the large tree in our church yard next to our Food for Focus gardens. Volunteers who tended the gardens used it as a place for lunch breaks and water rests, and community members often stopped by to sit in the shade and enjoy the space. Our community's youth also used it as a meeting spot, choosing it naturally as a place to gather. As the weather grew colder, we brought the table back indoors for the first Sunday of Advent. Our Sunday School gathered around it for communion before heading downstairs. The youngest children sat at the table while the older ones gathered around them, sharing the story of Jesus and talking about what it means to belong to a community shaped by love. Our table has become a simple but meaningful reminder that sacred moments happen whenever people gather, share, and make room for one another.
Why did you do it?
We chose to use our 100 Tables picnic table in these ways because hospitality and community are at the heart of our ministry. Our congregation believes that everyday places can become holy places when people gather, support one another, and share in the work of caring for our neighbours. Bringing the table into worship, placing it outdoors for the Westville 100, and setting it beside our Food for Focus gardens were all intentional choices that reflected who we are as a church. We wanted the table to be a symbol of welcome, belonging, and shared purpose, not just a piece of furniture. Using it with our Sunday School for Communion helped our youngest members experience that same sense of connection. Each setting allowed the table to support relationships, build community, and remind us that we are called to make space for others with love and generosity.
