THE PHRASE '20/20 vision' means 'the ability to see perfectly'. Open Table Network Coordinator Kieran Bohan reflects on a less than perfect year and the promise of the new year.

I think it's fair to say that none of us could have seen what this year would bring, and what we have seen is far from perfect. We know many in our communities have experienced isolation and loss, and we grieve with and pray for you all. In this season of Advent, we wait in hope for comfort and joy this Christmas and in the year to come.

It's been a challenge for many Open Table communities, as some have been unable to gather. Those that have cannot always reach everyone who would normally be present, yet some have found they are reaching new people who might otherwise might not have returned to church. Together we are learning to continue to offer safe space and build community in new ways.

And for the Network? In December 2019 we were asking people to make suggestions for who we might approach to be founding trustees as we planned to register as a charity, and drafting a constitution to submit to the Charity Commission. Now we have seven trustees, and seven patrons. We were looking forward to gathering in June for a day conference on the twelfth anniversary the first OT community, and the fifth since becoming a Network - when we couldn't meet in person we adapted to a half-day online - highlights here.

We expected to be registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) by now, but despite submitting our application in May, we are still waiting for a decision. As with many services during this time, the Charity Commission is experiencing exceptionally high volumes of work which is affecting their response times. We wait in hope for a positive decision.

We've learned how to offer worship online too, beginning with a service in March, then our anniversary celebration in June, and in July a Pride-themed communion in the parish where the first Open Table community began.

Since October we've begun to offer online services monthly, thanks to the grant we received from the National Lottery Community Fund, to support our efforts to reach more isolated members of our communities, and connect with our communities which have been unable to meet.

We could not have foreseen any of this, yet we continue to pray, and invite you to pray with us, the Open Table prayer:

Glory to God, whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, among us in Jesus' name. Amen

As we look ahead to 2021 and beyond, we'd really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to complete this short survey about what your Open Table community and the Open Table Network mean for you. This will help us to ask potential funders for what we need to support you, to do more of what you need most and what we do best. The survey will close at midnight on 6th January 2021. THANK YOU for helping us to help you!

This reflection by Kieran Bohan, our Network Co-ordinator, first appeared in our December 2020 e-news. If you don’t receive this (typically one or two emails a month) and you would like to, please subscribe here.