If there’s one thing that ties the folks at St. Lydia’s together, it’s the type of church experience that we’ve been looking for -- something that allows us to explore spiritual practice and theology in a deep and rich way while embracing the ambiguity, doubt, and questions that are a part of our spiritual lives.

The Meal

St. Lydia’s looks and feels different from most churches.  We gather each week to cook a big, delicious meal together.  Our worship occurs around that meal -- we eat together, read scripture, pray and sing around the table.  We do this because this is what worship looked like in the earliest days of the church.  We also do this because we believe that Communion is made as we sit down at a table together to share food and share ourselves.  Our meal is a sacred way of tying us together and tying us to God.  We consecrate it with a Eucharistic prayer called the Didache drawn from the second century. 

Practice

St. Lydia’s places practice before belief.  You don’t need to believe anything in particular to take part in our worship each week.  We are drawn together through the act of eating together: an act that anyone can take part in across tradition and religion.  We’re looking for all kinds of people to sit down at the table and share the meal. 

Working Together

When you arrive at St. Lydia’s, you’ll see that you’re put straight to work preparing dinner, setting tables, or putting out candles.  We’ve noticed that it’s easy to get to know one another when we work together.  We’ve also noticed that working together draws us together as a community, and draws us closer to God.  St. Lydia’s is a homemade church.

Building Together

St. Lydia’s is a collaborative venture!  We’re making something new, and we’re building it together.  We’re always looking for folks who can help us create this new thing.