Macon Magazine

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024 | maconmagazine.com 85 Those moments of astounding connection to the people around you? The experience is called "collective effervescence." begins with "an invitation to the table of radical inclusion," where the congregation welcomes "all to come and receive bread and juice as gi s of grace and love," says Pastor Sara Pugh-Montgomery. The spirit of inclusion extends beyond the sanctuary to the fellowship hall at Centenary, where every Sunday at 7:30 a.m., the congregation offers a free breakfast to address food insecurity in the community. Pastor Pugh-Montgomery describes the experience of this meal with her young daughter. "At the breakfast, Ruth and I sat at a table with some others from our community—some housed, some unhoused. We all ate the same food—grits, scrambled eggs, toast, sausage—and called one another by name." Perhaps we need more moments to gather around grits and eggs, to learn someone's name. Pastor Little challenges us to see "the stories, testimonies, and personalities of others as divine resources," whether around a communion table, at a community breakfast, or in our kitchen. Like the poet imagines, may we find our way to tables that are "a house in the rain, an umbrella in the sun." May we set the table for wonder, for belonging, and for something sacred. this meal is worth staying for a moment. The life-affirming generosity of a shared table resonates deeply in Islam. Eman Al Otair, co-founder of the Women's Interfaith Alliance of Central Georgia, emphasizes the profound importance of extending this embodied care in the words of the Quran: "The best of all charities is to feed a hungry person." Just as breaking bread to heal souls is central to Islamic worship, the central aisle at many churches across Macon leads to the communion table. At Centenary Methodist church, the communion ritual LEFT A shared meal at the Beall's Hill Community Garden, a Centenary outreach project. Photo courtesy of Centenary Church. Truist.com Truist Bank, Member FDIC. © 2022 Truist Financial Corporation. Truist, the Truist logo and Truist Purple are ser vice marks of Truist Financial Corporation. Care isn't just what we do at Truist—it's who we are. We make sure people around us feel supported and more in control. We find out what's important to our clients, and make it important to us. We get involved in meaningful ways with our communities. Why? Because real connections and real care create better outcomes. Now that's powerful. When you start with care, you get a different kind of bank.

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