I was struck with the power of a simple thing last week.

Most of us love to eat...indeed all of us need to eat.  Most of our meals are spent alone by ourselves or with family, and yet some of the most significant encounters Jesus had with people was in the context of a dinner party.  Last week, it hit me just how powerful the simple act of sharing a meal in a large group can be. 

Our young adult small group (of about 16 young adults, mostly aged between 18 and 22) started out time together with a massive cook up of good old spaghetti bolognaise.  It took alot of effort to organise, especially to cook in our small kitchen, but the pay off was superb...

A meal is the world's greatest ice breaker.  If you want to help people to get to know each other, forget the cheesy ice breaker - "if you were a super-hero, which one would you be?"  Just fry up some mince, boil some pasta and serve - the perfect ice breaker.

It set the scene for great sharing as we moved from dinner to our 'study'.   The group seemed much more inclined and comfortable sharing their lives with others than they had in the many weeks previous.  There was something about eating together that broke down the shy-wall.

It created a sweet sense of community.  As the night progressed, the community 'vibe' was enhanced more than ever before.  It just felt like family!  On reflection I realised that when we meet with other people on a week night, we usually eat at home alone or with family and then go out.  Eating together created that sense of family in our group.

It's not a new idea to eat together.  It's a simple thing.  Yes, it takes a bit of extra effort (more for some than others) but the pay-off is worth it!