September 2026 · Thought for the month
A Seat at the Table
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
September has a funny way of making us feel that life is starting again.
The children go back to school, diaries begin filling up, meetings reappear, and the relaxed pace of summer slowly disappears. We may have spent August trying to switch off, only to discover that September has arrived with a list of things that apparently need doing.
Perhaps that’s why September is also a good time to think about where we find space for the things that really matter.
This month, we’re starting something new at Holy Trinity & St Oswald, Finningley: The Table 2:42.
The name comes from Acts 2:42, where we read about the early Christians gathering together around teaching, fellowship, food and prayer. There is something wonderfully simple about that picture. People coming together, asking questions, listening, talking, eating and discovering what it means to follow Jesus.
The Table 2:42 begins on Sunday 20th September at 3.30pm, and it’s deliberately different from a traditional church service.
There will be coffee, contemporary Christian music, reflective visuals and, most importantly, honest conversation. It is a relaxed, café-style gathering for adults who might be exploring faith, wondering about God, or simply asking some of those big questions about life and meaning that don’t always have easy answers.
And you don’t need to have everything worked out before you come. In fact, quite the opposite.
You don’t need to know the right answers, know your way around church, or even be sure what you believe. You can simply come, grab a coffee, sit down and join the conversation.
Perhaps that is something we all need occasionally — a place where we can pause, think, listen and talk without feeling that we have to pretend we’ve got life completely sorted.
September may be the month when everything starts up again, but perhaps it can also be a month when we make room for something new.
So if you’ve ever found yourself asking “Is there more to life than this?”, “Can I really believe in God?”, or even “What is faith actually all about?”, why not come and take a seat at the table?
There’ll be coffee. There’ll be questions. There’ll be conversation.
And, unlike most September meetings, you won’t need to bring an agenda.
Neil
Rev Neil Redeyoff
