10/06/2016
Attention, those interested in the “Banquet on the Bridge”:
For anyone not familiar with the Banquet on the Bridge it is a large scale community potluck or “Common Meal” that has taken place on a bridge in downtown Columbus, GA since 2007. This event was intended to bring people from all different backgrounds together at a common table to share a meal and see past their differences.
We want to apologize for making this announcement so late in the year. We have been questioned by several people over the past few months if BOTB was happening this year, and honestly, we didn’t have a complete answer for them, as it’s something we’ve been quite conflicted about and have had many conversations on if we should continue it. BOTB has had a huge impact on our family over the years, and holds a very special place in our heart. Because of this, it has made this decision very hard. After many discussions though we have decided not to continue BOTB. There were many pros and cons on both sides of this, but we wanted to share the two main reasons we have decided to not continue putting together this event:
When BOTB started, it was a small group of friends, and a few pots of soup and coffee, meeting up on the pedestrian bridge downtown, and sharing a simple meal with those who happened to be in the area. BOTB would adopt the Bible verse from James 14:12 ““When you host a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you in return, and you will be repaid. 13But when you host a banquet, invite the poor,the crippled, the lame, and the blind”. Over the years BOTB has grown, with some years over 1400 people attending. Because of the growth in size, it now takes much more time and energy to put it together, requiring many weeks of preparation, by many people. While it’s truly been a blessing to have such support by so many people over the years, the overall coordination has still been very time and energy consuming for us. With us having a growing family now, and being involved with many great ongoing things in our community, spending the time it takes to put together a one day event like BOTB is not something we can pull off anymore. We had originally hoped over the past few years that an individual would come in contact with BOTB and be a good fit to eventually take over, but that wasn’t anything that ever worked out, part of the reason being that BOTB had grown so much, that it has become something that is really hard to handle. We do want to be sure to say that there have been a select few church communities that have been a huge help and who we would not have been able to do this without. If given the option they may have been willing to take over, but part of the point of BOTB was that it would never be under one church as it was meant to be a conglomeration of the whole community coming together.
2. As I mentioned earlier, BOTB started very small. It was a time where people could come together, and eat with someone they might not normally eat with. It was never meant to be a “meal for the homeless”, but rather a meal for everyone to come together and put aside their differences. As it has grown larger, it’s been hard to keep that mission on target. While many people came to help with BOTB, it was also a challenge to get people to actually sit down and eat a meal with people there, instead of wanting to just “volunteer”, and be the one handing out the food. On the flip side, it also became a place where those in need would come to consume a meal, or take it to go, without any contact with other people or a sense of community. Part of this could be contributed to the size the BOTB had become, and also the past situations in our community where food becomes just something to give away to those in need, and not something that builds a sense of community with each other. Since BOTB started, there have always been many resources in our community for meals and food for those in need. This can be a good thing, and it’s nice to know that for most people in our community, whether you have a home or not, you don’t have to go hungry. Over there past couple years there has also been more coordination between churches and ministries in combining forces in helping to make sure no one goes hungry, and there are some great opportunities to get involved with what’s already going on. BOTB was never meant to be a just a one time event you participate in each year, but was meant to spark something much bigger, that would change how we see and interact with other people that we might not normally be around. I think BOTB has done that to an extent for a lot of people over the years, and I hope even this post will do the same. If you are reading this and disappointed that BOTB is not happening this year, I want to encourage you to get involved with what’s already going on every day in Columbus through it’s many agencies and ministries, the people that you pass on the street asking for money (offer for them to join you for a meal!), or the many other ways you can get involved with our community. If you have suggestions on places for people to get involved, feel free to post them on here, or if you don’t know where to get involved with, feel free to ask on here or private message us.
Because there have been so many people and churches who have helped to make this event happen each year we will not name anyone specifically here. We thank you for the effects you’ve had on our lives, those who have attended the Banquet and those around you. We hope the ideals of the BOTB will continue to be lived out in our community and that this will continue to be a city filled with love, community and diversity. Please don’t stop here. Please get involved in what is going on around you. Please seek to love your neighbor. And please sit down and share a meal with someone new, it is such a wonderful way to get to know one another.
If you have not connected with the page feel free to LIKE it and connect with others interested in serving the community.
https://www.facebook.com/BanquetontheBridge/?fref=ts
Banquet on the Bridge is an annual, community wide potluck. Its focus is building community through Christ's love and grace; regardless of the differences we might have.
