Church Around the Table: How Dinner Church is Transforming Chicago—and What It Means for You
In a world where church attendance is declining but spiritual hunger is growing, Hope Church’s Dinner Church in Chicago is proving that the table is sacred space. Every Tuesday evening, in the neighborhoods of Pilsen and Marquette Park, people from all walks of life—families, the unhoused, working-class neighbors, and the curious—gather not just for food, but for belonging.
Dinner Church isn’t just an outreach event. It’s a Fresh Expression of church—a community built around radical hospitality, storytelling, and the love of Jesus made tangible through a shared meal. Inspired by the early church’s practice of breaking bread together, Dinner Church is a model that is both ancient and fresh, simple and powerful, deeply relational and transformational.
For church leaders wondering how to reach people who may never step into a sanctuary, Dinner Church offers an answer: Bring church to them.
A Vision Born at the Table
Dinner Church at Hope didn’t start as a formal program. It started with an open table in Ben and Jordan Arias’ home.
“Before we knew what Dinner Church was, we kept our table open at our house,” Jordan recalls. “If that’s what this season looks like, then our door will be open and our table will be available.”
What began as a simple meal shared among pastors, friends, and neighbors soon became a calling—one that Hope Church recognized and supported. They encouraged Ben and Jordan to take their passion for hospitality and turn it into something bigger: a community-centered expression of church for those who needed it most.
But there was one challenge: many of the people they were called to serve wouldn’t walk into a traditional church building.
“I remember standing outside waving people in,” Ben says. “I had a friend who lived just down the street. I told him, ‘Hey, we’re serving food inside, you should come by.’ He looked me in the eye and said, ‘You know what? The price is too steep to walk into those doors.’”
That moment made it clear: Dinner Church needed to exist outside the traditional church walls.
Meeting Real Needs in the City
Pilsen and Marquette Park are neighborhoods full of rich culture, resilience, and deep community ties—but also significant challenges. Gentrification, economic hardship, and food insecurity have created barriers to stability for many residents. Traditional church models weren’t reaching many of these individuals, but a meal and an open table could.
At Dinner Church, there are no barriers—no membership requirements, no dress codes, no expectations. There is simply an invitation:
Come and eat.
This echoes the practice of the early church:
“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” – Acts 2:46-47
Hope Church’s Dinner Church follows this biblical model, offering not just food, but deep, Christ-centered relationships—proving that the simplest acts of hospitality can be deeply transformative.
Stories of Transformation
Every week, around 60 people gather at each Dinner Church location. Some come because they’re hungry. Others come because they’re lonely. All leave having experienced something deeper than a meal—they encounter the presence of Christ.
Jordan recalls one of the first times she attended a Dinner Church in Seattle, where she and Ben trained before launching in Chicago:
“I just knew Jesus was there. It felt like home in a way that I’ve never experienced before.”
That same sense of belonging now fills the air at Hope Church’s Dinner Church. The line often wraps out the door—not just because of the food, but because of the unshakable presence of peace.
“I don’t know what it is, but I feel different when I come here. It’s like… peaceful.” – Dinner Church guest
Could This Be the Future of Church?
Dinner Church is not just a Chicago story—it’s a movement that can happen anywhere.
And the best part? It’s simple.
You don’t need a big budget, a fancy building, or a complex strategy. You just need a table, a meal, and an open heart.
Maybe your community is longing for connection. Maybe you’ve felt the stirring to do church differently—to step beyond Sunday services and build relationships in everyday spaces.
What if the next great movement of the Church isn’t inside a sanctuary, but around a dinner table?
Snapshot of a Fresh Expression of Church
What is the Fresh Expression called?
HOPE Dinner Church
Where is it?
Chicago, IL
Who is it for?
Hope Church’s Dinner Church is for anyone seeking community, connection, and a place to belong, especially those who may not feel comfortable in a traditional church setting. It welcomes the hungry, the lonely, the spiritually curious, and those facing hardship, offering them a warm meal and the love of Jesus in a welcoming, judgment-free space.
What do they do?
Hope Church’s Dinner Church creates a welcoming space where people from all walks of life can share a meal, build relationships, and experience the love of Jesus in a non-traditional setting. Every Tuesday, they serve a warm, home-cooked meal alongside gospel storytelling, prayer, and conversation, offering hospitality, community, and spiritual connection to those who may not attend a traditional church service.
Who is the Pioneer?
The pioneers of Hope Church’s Dinner Church are Ben and Jordan Arias, a husband-and-wife team who felt called to bring radical hospitality and gospel-centered community to Chicago’s neighborhoods. Initially opening their own home as a gathering space, they were encouraged by their pastors at Hope Church in Pilsen to take their passion for shared meals and relationship-building and transform it into a Fresh Expression of church.
Where can I learn more?
