WELCOME!
Ever wondered if you could actually know your neighbors? Ever longed for deeper relationships to share your everyday life with? (especially during a pandemic) Ever wondered if there was a way to actually build community in your own neighborhood that could provide this? Ever wished there was a more natural way to introduce someone to Christ than "come to mass with me"?
Either way, you made it to the right place. Maybe you are like us and experiencing a deep longing for community as never before. Maybe you are trying to find a way to answer your call to mission and raise a family in the US. Or maybe you just want to get to know your neighbors.
We started the Family Dinner movement in over a decade ago as an experiment… when times were way simpler! Since then, Family Dinner has proven to be the best way we have found to love God in the week-in-week-out rhythm of life in our modern American culture. We’re not saying it’s for everyone, but it sure has been a piece that is missing in our experience of modern Catholic culture. Click here for specific information about how Family Dinner works during COVID.
LAUNCHING FAMILY DINNER
- Everyone Invited: all ages, faith backgrounds, and statuses are invited
- Break Bread: around a meal; 100% pot-luck, unchoreographed, no one plans who brings what
- In a Home: not a church building or facility; part of normal
- Every Week: part of life’s routine; same place, same time; no real start time or end time; easy to come, easy to miss a week
- No Program: resist the urge; it is not a program… it is a vehicle to connect weekly and share life
- Missionary Host: committed to accompany and be accompanied through life by those in the community
Family Dinner’s are hosted by “Missionary Hosts” along with a core group of “Missionary Co-Hosts”. Missionary Hosts are families or households who have answered their baptismal call to mission by committing to opening their homes weekly for all. They invest in those relationships by authentically and vulnerably sharing life together.
Click the signup link and fill out the form to get started on the journey of becoming a Missionary host! You will get an email with a link to download the PDF launch kit worksheet, along with a link to schedule a time to chat with us. These will give you the tools and support you need to follow the simple three-step process to launch your Family Dinner in a way that is built to last.
WHAT IS THE "FAMILY DINNER 6 WEEK CHALLENGE"?
The "Family Dinner 6 Week Challenge" is simply that: a challenge to try Family Dinner for 6 six weeks in your community. We are betting you and your community won't want to stop when six weeks are up. 6 weeks, we hope, is short enough that it is not too daunting to say yes to, and also long enough to begin feeling like it is part of your routine and to feel a certain level of connection with those who come.
COVID-19 obviously makes the six week challenge complicated. We encourage you to sign up now to start your discernment process, so that you are ready to launch when your area opens up. You may also consider altering the 6 week challenge to be every other week for 3 months (making it 14 days between gatherings). See our more comprehensive COVID recommendations below.