Table Church is a Simple Church planted in February 2023 in Dan’s home in Lake Munmora, on the south end of Lake Macquarie. Table Church was launched with the vision “giving everyone on Lake Macquarie’s south the chance to eat with Jesus and His people“.
They have ‘table services’ every Sunday at Dan’s house where they have lunch and communion followed by a time of sharing, listening and learning. They also run free BBQ & Board Games events for their community.
In the lead up to National Baptism Week the small team decided to put on a 24 hour prayer and fasting vigil, taking turns to be ‘on duty’ in prayer. They prayed for baptisms, that the people around them would come to know Jesus, and for those in their community they knew were doing it tough.
“The week of our prayer vigil an active atheist in our community asked me to connect with a Christian friend of his, Jack,” recounts Dan, “he was pretty persistent! I eventually found the space to invite Jack over for a time of shared faith storytelling. Jack brought his friend Mitch with him, and we had an amazing time together.”
“I was blown away by their stories. From addiction to drugs and alcohol to praying to Lucifer, from seeing visions to lying in hospital with a broken spine, these guys had been through a whole lot! Yet what was most obvious was how God had been chasing them down through it all, relentlessly. Their faith had come to a head for both of them in the previous few weeks and they were looking for ways to commit themselves to Jesus.”
As Dan, Jack and Mitch talked, Dan shared about what they do at Table Church, and how they were working through Olive Tree Media’s “Next Steps” video series to lead into National Baptism Week. Mitch jumped at the mention of Baptism Week, and asked if Dan would let him get baptised.
“It isn’t often that I have people show up at my house asking me to baptise them!” reflects Dan.
Jack, Mitch and Dan got breakfast and read the Bible together a few more times, and a week or so later Jack also put up his hand, asking to be baptised.
On 29 October, Table Church held their delayed National Baptism Week service. Table Church’s first ever baptisms, sitting on the shore of Lake Munmorah, sharing a BBQ. To symbolise the Gospel spreading from person to person, Dan baptised Jack, and then Jack helped baptise Mitch. This was followed by time spent praying over more than a dozen names of those who were recently baptised in their neighbourhood in various Baptist churches.
“Looking back, these events were a clear answer to the prayers prayed in our 24 hour prayer and fasting vigil, in several big ways,” recounts Dan, “They’re also a great example of the catalytic effect of having a date in the calendar to help us better talk about and celebrate baptism”.
If you’ve got your own story of National Baptism Week to share we’d love to hear it! Send it to Crossover at:
https://www.crossover.org.au/national-baptism-week/
