In a world where virtual connection is easier than ever, why bother gathering in person? With online training, Zoom calls, podcasts, and social media at our fingertips, the question is fair: Do we really need a Dinner Church Summit in Pittsburgh, PA? Can’t we just do this online?
Yes—and no.
We’ve embraced virtual tools in the Dinner Church movement. This year alone, our core training track—Encounter, Launch, Lead—has shifted to a virtual format. Events like Next Steps, Table Matters, and the Dinner Church School of Leadership function beautifully online.
“Yet there is something powerful, important, and even essential about sitting around a table together.”
But there’s something we can’t replicate on a screen: the warmth of shared meals, the power of holding hands in prayer, the laughter that bubbles up when strangers become friends. That’s why the 2025 Dinner Church Summit: Laughter, Legacy, and the Jesus Table (November 6–8) matters.
Why In-Person Still Matters
The Summit isn’t just another conference. It’s a living embodiment of Dinner Church. It’s where the “table” becomes real—not metaphorical. Yes, there will be teaching, data, and training. But more importantly, it’s a time to connect: to sit together, share stories, pray for one another, and be reminded that you are not alone on this journey.
“The Summit is like crossing the threshold of a friend’s home—where you’re invited to sit down, take a breath, and be fully present.”
Whether you’re just beginning or you’ve been walking the Dinner Church path for years, this gathering is for you.
Laughter: Joy at the Table
In the Florida Dinner Church we host, I continue to be surprised by the joy that fills our dining hall. Every week feels like a celebration—like a party of welcome.
“Dinner Church can be a community where we throw parties for the forgotten and those who long to laugh again.”
Tony Campolo once told a story about meeting a group of late-night diner regulars—prostitutes, addicts, and others often overlooked. One woman, dreading her birthday, expected no one to care. So Tony and the others threw her a surprise party the next night. She was overwhelmed. It was love, kindness, and compassion wrapped in cake and candles.
Campolo would say, “The Kingdom of God is a place where we throw parties for prostitutes.” That’s the kind of joy we seek in Dinner Church—a space where the lonely and the lost laugh again, where every person is celebrated as made in the image of God.
Legacy: Building Something That Lasts
Legacy isn’t about fame, wealth, or accomplishment. It’s about what outlives us—what has eternal value. At Dinner Church, our legacy is transformed lives.
“A Dinner Church is where lost people get found, broken people get fixed, wounded people get healed, and empty people get filled.”
We don’t build on programs or prestige—we build on stories of grace and redemption. This is the kind of legacy we want to steward together.
“The power of hospitality, the gift of invitation and welcome is central to the Dinner Church mission.”
The Jesus Table: A Thin Place of Grace
In my family, we’ve gathered around a 150-year-old oak table for generations. Around it, we’ve lived life in all its joy and mess—holidays and hard conversations, births and losses. That table tells our story.
“Life happens around the Jesus Table. But this table holds something more: it is sacramental.”
In Dinner Church, the meal becomes sacred. It’s more than food—it’s the outward sign of inward grace. Around the Jesus Table, people encounter the living Christ in tangible ways: through kindness, compassion, and presence. Conversations shift. Hearts open. Faith deepens.
As my Anglican tradition puts it, sacraments are “outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace.” In this case, the sign is a table. The grace is Jesus, showing up again and again through community.
“The Jesus Table becomes a Thin Place of God’s presence, a place of encounter.”
A Sacred Gathering for the Journey Ahead
We invite you to join us in Pittsburgh for the 2025 Dinner Church Summit: Laughter, Legacy, and the Jesus Table. These three days are more than a learning experience—they’re a spiritual pilgrimage.
“More than another conference, the Summit is a mountaintop moment to fuel and steward the Dinner Church movement for generations to come.”
You’ll be equipped, encouraged, and embraced. You’ll share stories and hear new ones. You’ll laugh, cry, pray, and worship. Most of all, you’ll rediscover why the table matters—and why it’s worth gathering around, again and again.
Join us. The table is set.
