“At the table, stories intersect, walls come down, relationships are restored, and discipleship takes place.”
In a time when many communities are skeptical of traditional church and longing for authentic connection, Glass City (Lancaster) Dinner Church is offering something radically simple—and profoundly transformational.
Launched on April 17, 2025, this Fresh Expression of church meets every Thursday at Maywood Mission in Lancaster, Ohio, where neighbors are invited to share a meal and hear a story about Jesus. Led by Pastors Calvin and Andrea Green, this expression doesn’t rely on a building or a stage. It starts with a table.
Not Your Typical Church Service
“You may be thinking, ‘Oh great, just what Lancaster needs. Another church.’ Yes, Glass City is technically a church—but this is not at all what you are used to.”
That’s the invitation from the pioneers themselves, who felt a burden for those who had been hurt by or disillusioned with traditional church. Instead of pews and sermons, this community offers a dinner table and a Jesus story.
“We’re not going to make you sit and be preached at for 45 minutes,” they explain. “Instead, we’re going to sit at the dinner table with you, learn about you, love on you, and listen to a story about Jesus and the amazing things he did while loving everyone.”
It’s church made simple, sacred, and accessible.
Reaching People Who Would Never Walk Into a Sanctuary
Dinner Church at Glass City (Lancaster) was born out of listening—listening to a community marked by economic strain, loneliness, and spiritual disconnection. Many in the area have no church background or carry deep wounds from past experiences. What they needed wasn’t another Sunday event. They needed a place to belong.
That’s where Maywood Mission became the perfect launchpad. Here, people are invited to “come hungry”—not only for food but for connection, for hope, for a new beginning.
“We want people to feel seen.”
This kind of contextual church, a core concept in the Fresh Expressions movement, seeks to meet people where they are, in spaces where traditional models often fall short. The Fresh Expressions journey—listening, loving, building community, exploring discipleship—unfolds naturally when you start with a meal and a story.
Incarnational Ministry That Mirrors the Early Church
Glass City Dinner Church isn’t just a community meal—it’s a living expression of how the early church gathered. Discipleship happens not through programs or platforms but through consistency, hospitality, and shared life.
This is incarnational mission at its best: presence over performance, relationship over ritual. As part of the broader Fresh Expressions movement, Glass City embodies the values of organic growth, contextual relevance, and kingdom imagination.
It’s not about numbers—it’s about neighbors. And it’s about rediscovering the church as something that can happen anywhere, with anyone, over something as ordinary—and sacred—as dinner.
From Ordinary to Transformational—One Table at a Time
“This is simple church. Sit at the table, break bread with one another, and walls will come down.”
What makes this story so compelling is its accessibility. You don’t need a seminary degree or a massive launch team to start a Fresh Expression. You need a heart for people, a willingness to listen, and a place to gather.
Glass City Dinner Church is a reminder that God still shows up at the table. And any church—rural, urban, large, small—can step into this kind of mission.
The Table Is Set. What’s Your Next Move?
Glass City (Lancaster) Dinner Church is more than a creative ministry experiment. It’s a faithful response to a real need—and a compelling example of how churches can pivot toward mission in fresh, faithful ways.
So here’s your invitation:
Pull up a chair.
Ask who in your community is hungry.
And let the love of Jesus speak through food, story, and friendship.
Snapshot of a Fresh Expression of Church
What is the Fresh Expression called?
Glass City Dinner Church
Where is it?
Lancaster, Ohio
Who is it for?
Glass City (Lancaster) Dinner Church is for anyone who feels disconnected from traditional church, especially those who have been hurt by past experiences or are spiritually curious but unsure where to begin. It’s a welcoming space for neighbors, skeptics, and seekers to share a meal, build relationships, and encounter the love of Jesus without pressure or pretense.
What do they do?
Glass City (Lancaster) Dinner Church gathers every Thursday evening at Maywood Mission in Lancaster, Ohio. Led by Pastors Calvin and Andrea Green, the community shares a hot meal, listens to a Jesus story, and builds relationships in a welcoming, non-traditional setting.
Who is the Pioneer?
Pastors Calvin and Andrea Green
Where can I learn more?
