Dinner Church

It sure is! “Dinner Church” is a phrase we’ve coined to describe what we do when we gather at St. Lydia’s. Sharing a meal is a tradition from the earliest days of the church—one that we’re reviving in our practice together. In recent years, more and more of them have popped up all over the United States. It’s a movement!

Yes, just show up! If you like you can write us (especially if you have a dietary restriction, which is great to pass onto our chefs) and we'll be expecting you.

If you're visiting with a large group, please know that our storefront space offers an intimate experience of worship; it can accommodate up to about 30 folks for a Dinner Church service. It’s always helpful for us to know when a local or out of town group plans to visit, so we can be sure to have enough food for all! 

We ask three things of our out-of-town visitors:

• Email info@stlydias.org in advance to let us know you’ll be joining

• Give an Offering. It takes a lot of dough to run a Dinner Church! Our operating budget includes money for rent, salaries, supplies, and of course, the food that we put on the table. Congregants who attend each week and donors from all across the country are an integral part of keeping our doors open and the lights on at St. Lydia's.

• Invite your group to read these tips for how to make your pilgrimage to St. Lydia’s a rich experience for you and for our congregation.

There's no need to bring anything, though if you feel inspired to pick up dessert or a bunch of flowers, we will gladly receive them! Dessert takes place during the hubbub of cleanup, so cookies or treats that don't require plates or silverware work well. We do not serve alcohol at our meals, so please refrain from bringing wine. Whatever you would like! Congregants tend to dress casually.

There could be anywhere from 10-25 people! We try to keep the experience intimate.

Absolutely! Children of all ages are more than welcome, and will be doted on and adored by the congregation. Dinner Church runs a little late for very small ones (we usually finish worship at 8:00pm) but you’re welcome to slip out before the service is entirely over if you need to. We also have Waffle Church on the second Sunday of each month at 11am, which is geared toward children’s leadership and participation.

All of our meals are vegetarian, and sometimes vegan, gluten-free, and dairy free, but not always. We sometimes have dessert at the end of worship. If you have allergies to particular foods or have other food-related concerns, please send us an email and let us know. If you need to receive gluten free bread at the Eucharist or have a food allergy, it’s helpful if you let the coordinator know when you arrive.

We do not drink wine as a part of our meal. Grape juice and water are offered instead.

Worship at St. Lydia’s is based on the worship in the Early Church. In the second and third centuries, Christians gathered for sacred meals they called the Eucharist (a Greek word that means “thanksgiving”). Jesus and many of his first followers were Jewish, so the meals were related to Jewish Sabbath supper and Seder meals, and involved blessing bread and a cup. The meals shared by these early Christians were the great-great grandparent of our modern Eucharist, also called Communion or the Lord’s Supper.

Yes. We bless our meal with an early Eucharistic prayer from the Didache, a second century Christian text. Our presider chants the prayer. The congregation sings responses during the blessing, then shares the bread with each other.