This week everyone came to small group! Why? Because we were doing a potluck. People show up for food!

It reminds me of a potluck we did in our last small group. So many people were there that evening that a new member asked me if we had invited another group to join us. I said, “No, this happens every time we have a potluck.”

Food is important to a small group. There is something special about eating together. We share meals with those closest to us. When we eat together we enjoy great food and fellowship and celebrate belonging in God’s family.

I actually looked at the relationship of eating meals together and small group growth as part of my doctoral research. Groups that eat together grow faster. It’s not a major growth factor—like prayer or outreach or empowering leadership—but it definitely helps.

Here is what we did at our meeting. We met earlier than usual—at 6:00pm instead of 7:00pm. First we enjoyed a meal together. Adults ate in the dining room, the teens and kids were in the kitchen. Then we all moved to the family room and answered two fun icebreaker questions: “What is one thing you want for Christmas?” and “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Eight adults, three teenage girls, and four grade school aged boys all answered both questions. (There were also two toddlers there.) All the answers were fascinating. It was fun. Then we enjoyed dessert together. After that people hung around and talked and some of us looked at a video of the Mahomet Marching Bulldogs. Some prayer concerns were shared informally. People stayed about two hours in all. We left about 8:00pm.

Have you done a potluck lately in your small group?