How to Neighbor

It is so easy for me to eat alone. It’s unintentional. I’m usually multitasking. Eating while I’m checking emails, or while I’m working on a task. Eating while watching TV.

The idea of eating alone can be very self-focused. It certainly isn’t others focused. It’s all about what tastes good to me. What is easy for me to grab without much preparation. What is the most convenient meal I can have.

Don’t get me wrong, eating alone isn’t wrong. It could be a time for mindfulness, for gratefulness…but for me, that is usually not the case. When I consider eating with others, everything regarding purpose and focus changes. Something beautiful happens when a meal is enjoyed together.

At a previous church I attended, we enjoyed a monthly potluck style meal together after church. We called it our monthly Common Meal. We signed up on a sheet after service that was passed around for what we would be bringing. If you were visiting that Sunday, it was a great way for people to get acquainted. Occasionally, someone that was hungry that hadn’t attended the service came and ate with us as well.

What if we took that “common meal” idea and incorporated it into our neighborhoods? Could we dare to take such a step out of our comfort zones?

How to Neighbor Through Meals

1. Neighborhood barbeque – Send out invites to the neighbors on your street. Convey that you will provide and invite others to contribute whatever they wish to bring. Enjoy a potluck barbeque in your driveway.
2. Progressive Meal – Have one neighbor host a salad. Afterwards, walk to the neighbor hosting the main dish. Next walk to the neighbor hosting the side dishes and lastly, everyone meets at the neighbor hosting dessert.
3. Potluck – Host your neighbors potluck style in your home. If you do not have a large enough dining table, set up table another table in your living room. Invite your neighbors to bring their favorite dish to share.

Note: At this time in our country many are experiencing food insecurity. As the church, it’s time to find ways to show neighborliness in this way. Take the challenge and enter into relationships around the dining table.