Breaking Bread Together: A Dinner Ministry in Germany

Megan felt inspired. She’d spent a wonderful week at a Christian community and study center, sitting around the dinner table, talking about life’s big questions with the other guests. Those conversations over delicious food had encouraged her as she pondered the next phase of her ministry with Greater Europe Mission. Her fellow diners’ words had prompted deeper thought and awakened new ideas. 

In the large German city where Megan lived, people moved quickly from one activity to the next and tended to jump from one topic to the next in conversation. That frustrated Megan, who tried to engage people more deeply, looking for opportunities to point young students and professionals to God. She’d built many relationships among her national and international peers, but the hectic pace of life prevented them from going deeper. 

Might her fellow city dwellers slow down and open up a bit more if given the chance?

Setting the Table

Megan sensed the Lord nudging her to host her own version of the meals she had enjoyed at the study center. She loved to cook. She knew from experience that time spent lingering over a meal had a way of encouraging conversation, of building intimacy and trust.

For her first dinner, Megan asked people to sign up and submit a topic or theme they’d been pondering and wanted to discuss. She invited Christians from her church, and unbelievers from the community. 

Then, she planned and cooked a creative three-course meal, designed menu cards, and wrote out name cards for place settings. This attention to detail made her guests feel especially welcomed. As they sat down together, Megan encouraged them to get to know each other with a bit of small talk before opening the discussion of the evening’s topic. 

The response stunned her. Everyone seemed to love sitting around the table, talking about life’s deeper issues.

Since then, Megan has been hosting dinners once a month. Her menus are always seasonal, requiring attention to detail and hours in the kitchen. She doesn’t mind. Her guests attend enthusiastically, and sometimes they bring friends along. 

“Each time, our goal has been to discuss the topic for at least an hour,” says Megan, “but we often go up to two hours. In this international city, I have guests from diverse backgrounds, and they bring their unique perspectives, which contributes to discussion.” 

Sometimes, several guests will submit the same topic to discuss. When that happens, Megan knows it’s weighing heavily on people’s minds and needs to be addressed.  

“We have discussed a myriad of things. Our very first conversation was about friendship—what it looks like, and how to have deep meaningful friendships in cross-cultural settings. We’ve talked about the purpose of life, the influence of social media and technology, as well as the unique and special qualities that males and females bring to society, and how to affirm those differences. We’ve discussed rest and self-care from Christian and secular perspectives. We most recently discussed how to balance positivity and optimism with harsh realities.” 

These are not light topics, but an atmosphere of humility prevails as the opinions fly back and forth across the table. 

“We have had as few as six around the table, and as many as 12,” says Megan. “It’s always a different group somehow. Even though there are people who come regularly, the table is never the same, so that keeps it fun.” 

Breaking Bread and Sharing Life Together

The group’s discussion about the purpose of life was by far the most heady, philosophical conversation they have had. It saddened Megan and her believing guests to hear people saying they had no purpose and were here on Earth by accident. But Megan and the other Christians got to respectfully share their belief that God created them and gave their lives meaning. 

These dinners have become so important to Megan’s guests that they have now taken ownership, offering to host them in their apartment terraces or rooftops in the summer months. Megan still cooks and facilitates the discussions but relishes the chance to enter into other people’s spaces. She charges only a minimal fee to help cover food costs. 

“Where else in a large German city can you get a fancy, three-course meal for five Euro?”

The dinners have deepened the relationships Megan once lamented as being too shallow. 

“We’ve covered all sorts of topics, but somehow faith always seems to connect to those topics. This ministry is helping my church community grow in its interactions with the non-believing world, providing new avenues for the gospel to break through.” 

— Megan, a GEM worker in Germany

This summer, Megan made roasted plum, goat cheese, and lemon thyme salad. With that, she served a fruit and cheese board and ratatouille with polenta as the main dish. After that, her guests enjoyed a dessert of stone fruit and basil cobbler. For her next meal, she plans to make sweet potato gnocchi with brown butter sage sauce. 

“We could grab quick foods and have our discussion in a café,” she says, “but spending time shopping for ingredients and cooking from scratch is almost a metaphor for the depth of our conversations around the table. It’s also a visual testimony of how God has provided us with such a great and beautiful variety of foods. I try to highlight that when I cook for my guests.”

People Are Hungry 

People are hungry in Megan’s city. 

They hunger physically, spiritually, and emotionally. 

Megan has been pleasantly surprised by the success of this ministry.

“It has been a way to feed people on so many levels,” says Megan. “Spiritual thirst, living water, the bread of life…there are so many food metaphors in Scripture. These dinners bring these metaphors to life in a new way. Because the community around the table is developing in an inter-connected way, I feel confident in going deeper into Christian conversations.”

We believe discipling relationships are the key to changing Europe.

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About the Author: Jenny Garrity is a Storyteller with Greater Europe Mission. Jenny and her husband Kim joined GEM in 1984. They have served in Germany, Belgium, and most recently, Greece in response to the refugee crisis.