A Generous Table

At the Shining Waters Regional Council Intercultural and Diversity Gathering, hosted by the Ghanaian Calvary Methodist United Church, I joined more than 80 people from cultures across the world—Japanese, Korean, Latin American, Caribbean, Ugandan, and Ghanaian—to share worship, stories, and, of course, food. The hospitality was abundant: koko, jollof rice, okra soup, banku, and yams. Every dish came with a smile, a story, and a sense that this table was a holy place.

It was around one of those tables that I first heard the word somubi. My mind sparked up immediately, and I wrote it down before I forgot. As one participant explained, somubi is a Twi word which describes a way of life for people in her faith community. “This is just what we do,” she said. “When a child is born in our community, we share to give that child a good start in life—this is their first bank account. When a person dies in our community, we share with the bereaved, who may be supporting family at home or who may have traveled far. This sharing is important—each person gives as they can, and it is over and above what we would give financially to the church.”

Her words stayed with me. They were so matter of fact, so deeply woven into what it means to follow Jesus. Somubi is faith expressed as generosity, worship lived through community care. At the gathering, I could see somubi in the bounty of food, in the laughter, in the welcome that overflowed beyond what was necessary.

Somubi challenges me—and all of us—to consider what extravagant generosity might look like in our own lives and congregations. What does it mean to give not out of obligation, but out of grace and relationship? What might it mean to become worshippers whose giving reflects God’s abundance and cares for God’s beloved community?

In a church that welcomes people from many cultures, we discover that stewardship is not a single tradition but a shared table—one where each culture brings its own understanding of what it means to serve God through generosity. In listening, tasting, and learning from one another, we begin to see the Spirit’s abundance made visible in our differences. I was deeply grateful to sit at that table, nourished in body and soul, catching a glimpse of a church that is rich not because it has much, but because it shares much. A church where curiosity replaces fear, where stories become gifts, and where generosity flows naturally from worship. To live in such a community is to trust that God is revealed in our giving and receiving, and that the more we learn from each other, the more we become the church God calls us to be.

In this season of gratitude, I’m inspired by that table at Ghanaian Calvary Methodist United Church. There I glimpsed a living Christianity that grows richer when cultures meet and faith is shared. Each story and flavour became part of a larger feast of grace. When we bring our diverse experiences together, we are nourished by one another and reminded that God’s abundance is never ours alone. May every table—church, home, or community—become a place of welcome, gratitude, and shared grace.

—Rev. Melody Duncanson Hales offers stewardship support in Canadian Shield and Shining Waters Regions of the United Church of Canada

The views contained within these blogs are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of The United Church of Canada.