Welcome to the Table
Changing the world through conversation, connection, and community
The next
Turning the Gem Gathering:
From Overwhelm to Overflow:
Reclaiming Lament as Covenant Speech
with Pastor Shenay Shumake from
Life Changers International Ministries Detroit
May 2, 2026 | 6:30pm
@ Evanswood Church
2601 E Square Lake Rd, Troy, MI 48085
We are living in disorienting times, and it’s tempting to look away in the name of self-care or self-preservation. But faith doesn’t call us to turn away—it invites us to turn toward God with our grief, disappointment, murmurs, and with honesty. Lament is bringing pain to speech: it is covenant speech. It is the language of a people still in relationship with Him. And when we cry out, we do so with the quiet confidence that God hears.
“Theologians should concentrate less on social arrangements and more on fostering the kind of social agents capable of envisioning and creating just, truthful, and peaceful societies, and on shaping a cultural climate in which such agents will thrive.”
Miroslav Volf
Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation
About the
Open Table Collective
The Open Table Collective is an ever inclusive and affirming collective of individuals on a spiritual journey. We seek to cultivate courageously receptive spaces for wrestling with nuances of faith so we can walk alongside one another without fear or judgment.
We have a seat at the table
just for you
The Open Table Collective is located in Metro Detroit, and hosts gatherings on the first and third Saturday of the month.
Our main location is Evanswood Church in Troy, MI, but we do, on occasion, decide to meet in alternative spaces, so please stay connected to us through the website, texting community, or email to get all the updates.